You Had My Heart From The Beginning
by TheDynastyGirl
Summary: Stephanie McMahon is in the process of a divorce from her horrible husband. Funnily enough, her heart is healed by her new boss at Levesque Incorporated, Paul Levesque. AU Paul/Steph
1. Chapter 1

"Welcome to Levesque Inc, I would formally like to welcome you to your position Miss... ah..." The man stopped, looking confused.

"McMahon, you can call me Stephanie though." I said.

"Right, Miss McMahon, my name is James. I'll just show you where your desk is and then I have some very important work to get to." James said. I nodded my head and followed him into the elevator.

"What made you choose a job here, at Levesque Inc?" James asked me.

"Honestly, I just needed the money. I am going through a troubling divorce and I didn't want to ask my Dad for money so I did something about it. I went out and got a job." I said. James nodded his head and I straightened my skirt.

"Don't let Mr Levesque hear you say that, he will be disappointed if you came to work here just for money," James said.

"Well, he was the one that gave me the job." I replied coolly. James went to say something but he stopped. We walked out of the elevator and down the corridor.

"All right, this is Mr Levesque's office and your desk is right here," James said. I nodded my head and smiled. He walked off and I sat down at my desk. This was going to be strange; I was new and didn't have anyone to talk to.

About ten minutes after I started working, the door to Mr Levesque's office opened and I looked up. A man poked his head through and motioned for me to come in. I stood up and followed him into the office.

"You must be Stephanie, nice to meet you. My name is Paul and I am the owner of Levesque Incorporated." He said. I smiled awkwardly and shuffled my feet.

"It's nice to meet you Mr Levesque," I replied. I looked up at him and quickly looked him up and down as he talked about what he wanted me to do for the rest of the week. He had long blonde hair that was tied back into a ponytail and a slight beard. His tanned skin made his light brown eyes shine brightly. Even though he was wearing a suit, I could tell that he worked out a lot. He was incredibly handsome. I bit down on my lip as our eyes met and he gave me a guilty smirk.

"Sorry," I said, wringing my hands together.

"That's okay; I was checking you out as well." He said. I blushed and he moved closer.

"If you need anything, feel free to come and ask me all right?" He asked. I nodded my head and left the room.

Just before lunch, the phone on my desk rang so I answered it hesitantly.

"Stephanie, it is Paul. I have a very important lunch meeting and I was wondering if you would like to come along and take notes?" Paul said.

"Uh, sure, if you want me to," I said, chewing down on my bottom lip.

"That is why I asked. Be ready to leave in five minutes all right?" Paul said.

"Sure thing, thanks for giving me this opportunity." I said. Paul chuckled and I felt my own lips curve upwards into a smile.

"No problem Stephanie," He replied. The line went dead and I stood up to put my jacket on. Not even a minute later, Paul walked out and smiled at me. He had an amazing smile.

"Let's go Stephanie," He said. I nodded and followed him over to the elevator.

"So... are you married?" He asked.

"In the process of a divorce," I replied.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." He said. I shrugged and leant back against the wall.

"It is okay, Harrison was a loser, and I don't know what I saw in him in the first place." I said.

"Yeah, I was like that with my wife." Paul said.

"You were married?" I asked. He nodded and smiled at me.

"I don't like talking about it though. Tamara means nothing to me anymore." He said. I nodded and he placed his hand on my shoulder.

"I'm here if you ever need to talk okay? I might be your boss but I'm not that much of an insensitive asshole. I care about my employees." He said. I smiled and we walked out of the elevator.

"What is Harrison's last name, it isn't McMahon is it?" Paul asked.

"No, it's Smith. McMahon is my maiden name." I said. Paul nodded and I saw his jaw clench.

"D... do you know Harrison?" I asked. Paul closed his eyes for a moment and then he helped me into his car.

"I guess you could say that," Paul said. I frowned and he got in the other side. I knew not to push the subject so we drove off to lunch in silence.

"Ah, Paul, how are you?" A man said, greeting us out the front of the restaurant. I recognised him instantly; it was Harrison's business partner Daniel. I inwardly groaned and tried to hide behind Paul as best I could.

"Smithy should be here any minute. He'll be interested to know that you scored yourself a new missus!" Daniel said.

"She's my personal assistant. Why don't you get our table so I can quickly discuss what's happening with her." Paul said. Daniel must've nodded because he went inside and Paul turned around.

"You still want to do this lunch?" He asked. I bit my lip and shook my head.

"Not really, no." I said.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realise that he was your ex-husband." Paul said. I smiled and shrugged.

"That's all right; I'll just wait for you in your car." I said. Paul laughed and shook his head.

"How about we annoy your ex. Pretend we're a couple." He said. I shook my head and looked up at him.

"I barely know you!" I whispered, knowing the fear was evident in my eyes. Paul frowned a little bit but nodded his head. He gave me his keys and kissed my cheek.

"I'll try to make it quick." He said. I nodded and made my way back to his car.

About an hour later, Paul made his way back to the car.

"Are you all right?" I asked him. He nodded and rested his head against the steering wheel.

"You want to talk about it?" I asked. He shook his head and I nodded as he drove off.

"How could you have ever been married to him?" He all of a sudden blurted out. I bit my lip and looked down.

"He wasn't always like that. He was nice once upon a time. I know it seems hard to believe but it is true." I said softly. Paul reached over and quickly squeezed my fingers. I turned to look at him and saw his beautiful eyes boring into mine.

"Let's just not talk about him anymore. It's your first day at work; you don't need to talk about your life." Paul said. I nodded gratefully and we arrived back at the building.

By the end of the day, I was glad to clock off. I knocked on Paul's office door and heard him call out for me to come in.

"Is there anything you need me to do before I go?" I asked. Paul smiled and stood up.

"No, there's not although I was wondering if you would like to come to dinner with me." Paul said.

"I actually have plans already. I'm sorry Paul." I said. I saw his face crumple in disappointment and then he composed himself.

"How about we go for breakfast tomorrow? We can meet up for coffee and then come to work." Paul said. I smiled and nodded my head.

"See you out the front of this place at about eight?" I asked. Paul nodded and I smiled.

"Goodnight Paul," I said.

"Goodnight Stephanie," He replied, smiling at me.

I got up the next morning and got ready quickly. Harrison had come over last night and we had gotten into an argument so my eyes were bloodshot and puffy. Hopefully Paul wouldn't notice. I walked out of my house and walked the few blocks to work. Paul was coming out of the parking lot and he smiled at me.

"Good morning," He said brightly.

"Morning," I replied, looking down at my feet.

"Are you all right?" He asked. I shook my head and felt myself move into his arms. I didn't mean to, I just wanted comfort.

"Come on, we'll go to the coffee house and talk about it." Paul said. I nodded and he kept his arm wrapped around me tightly. He felt so warm and I was comforted just by his presence. We arrived at the coffee house and went in. Paul went to order our coffee's while I sat down and tried to regain my composure.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Paul asked, placing a coffee in front of me. I shook my head and wrapped my hands around my cup.

"I'm sorry for getting all emotional. I mean, you should fire me, I'm already crying my heart out and it's the second day." I said.

"So it has something to do with Levesque Inc?" He asked. I shook my head and raised my head, looking into his eyes.

"Did you talk to Harrison last night?" He asked. I slowly nodded my head and Paul briefly closed his eyes.

"Did he hurt you?" He asked, opening his eyes.

"Only with his words," I replied. Paul nodded and pressed his lips together in a scowl.

"What do you care anyway, I'm just your assistant." I said.

"That doesn't mean that I don't care Stephanie, I hate seeing my workers upset. Do you want to take today off?" He asked.

"No, I don't want to do that. Please, just forget about it." I said. Paul grinned at me and my heart fluttered.

"Sure thing," He said. I smiled back at him and we finished drinking our coffees in silence.

"Are you ready to go back to the office?" He asked. I nodded and we walked back.

"Paul, can I ask you a question?" I asked. Paul nodded and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"You said you wife was Tamara and when I got to thinking last night, I realised Harrison had a sister named Tamara. Were... were you married to Harrison's sister?" I asked. Paul sighed and nodded his head.

"Was that your son that..." I couldn't finish the sentence because he nodded his head. I pulled him into a hug and he rubbed my back warmly.

"I'll never be able to forgive her for that." He whispered into my ear. I suddenly came to the realisation that although Paul looked happy on the outside, he was empty on the inside. He had lost everything because of what Tamara did. I pulled away from him and looked into his eyes. Eyes that were filled with loneliness that I wanted to fill; I wanted to make him feel whole again. We made our way up to the top floor of the building and I noticed that my desk was gone. I stood there confused and Paul chuckled slightly as his massive hand enveloped mine.

"Your desk is now in my office. I need you closer so I can boss you around." Paul said. I smiled softly and followed him into his office.

"Or, you put it in here because you have a crush on me!" I said.

"Do not!" Paul replied, in a playful tone. Our banter carried on for a while until I actually sat down and did work.

"I like this arrangement," Paul said. I looked over at him and smiled.

"Yeah, same here," I replied. He grinned and I grinned back.

This could definitely work.


	2. Chapter 2

"Good morning, this is Levesque Incorporated, Stephanie McMahon speaking," I said, answering the phone. I saw Paul staring at me and I turned my back on him.

"Hello, I was wondering if Paul Levesque was in and if I could speak to him. My name is Patricia Levesque and I am his mother." The woman said. I nodded and turned to face Paul.

"Do you have a spare moment for your Mom?" I asked. He nodded and picked up the phone.

"Hey Ma, how are you?" Paul said. As he got into his conversation, I saw an email pop up from Smith & Wright- Harrison's company. I sighed and forwarded it straight to Paul. Another email popped up and I frowned when it said it was from Paul. I opened it and looked over at him as I waited for it to load.

**You look absolutely beautiful today. I was wondering, do you want to come to my lunch meeting today? I'll warn you now, Harrison and Daniel will be there but there will be more people from other companies.**

**Paul**

I smiled and turned to face him. I nodded my head and he grinned back at me.

I had been working for Levesque Incorporated for just over a month and I was really enjoying it here. Paul was my main source of enjoyment. We had gotten really close over the past month and worked very well together. He was forever flirting and it was kind of nice. Harrison hadn't shown me affection in so long and I missed it. Our divorce proceeding were getting more and more troubling and I just wanted it to end. I wanted Harrison out of my life. Paul's office door opened and Elise came rushing in. Elise and I had become good friends and she was always coming into Paul's office for random things since we became friends, usually to talk to me. I closed out of Paul's email just as Elise came over to my desk. She pulled me out of the seat and sat down, starting to type on my computer.

"Elise, what are you doing?" I asked.

"Look at this!" She said. She showed me her Facebook page and she had announced she had gotten engaged. I squealed and hugged her tightly.

"Congratulations show me the pictures of the night!" I said. She started going through the pictures of the night and I smiled. I was so happy for her, she deserved it. All of a sudden, I felt Paul's hand on my back as he bent over to look at the pictures as well. I felt my heart pounding in my chest and I wasn't concentrating anymore. As he bent down to kiss Elise's cheek, his hand ran over my butt and I felt myself blushing.

"Congratulations Elise," He said. Then he walked back over to his desk and allowed us to continue talking.

"So... what's going on with you and Paul?" Elise whispered when Paul momentarily left the room.

"Nothing, I don't want to make the first move if he doesn't reciprocate those feelings." I said. Elise raised her eyebrows and smiled at me.

"I'm sure he would be glad to reciprocate those feelings. Stephanie, he is totally in love with you, everyone can see that. I mean, you guys act like a couple anyway." Elise said.

"We do not; we only hold each other's hand, which does not mean that we are a couple." I said.

"What about that night when you got drunk and he took you back to his place?" Elise said. I blushed, remembering the week earlier.

"We didn't do anything at all. We didn't even kiss." I said. Elise laughed and hugged me.

"Are you coming to Paul's lunch meeting?" I asked.

"I sure am, are you?" She asked. I nodded my head and smiled.

"Okay, see you at lunch. You can ride with me. Make him go crazy." She said. I smiled and nodded my head. She walked out of the room and Paul came back in. He smiled cheekily and I smiled back.

"Did you miss me?" I asked. Paul shrugged and shook his head.

"Nah, I didn't." He laughed. I rolled my eyes and he sat at his desk.

"Do me a favour and wake me up just before we have to leave for lunch." He murmured.

"Can I go to sleep as well?" I asked.

"No, you have to wake me up!" He said. I rolled my eyes and watched as he drifted off to sleep.

"Paul, it's time to get up." I said, walking over to him an hour later.

"Mmm, I don't wanna." He mumbled, turning his face the other way.

"Come on, you've got to get up for the meeting." I said. Paul grumbled and pulled himself up.

"Are you always this grumpy when you wake up?" I asked. He nodded and I laughed. He glared at me and grabbed his suitcase.

"I'll meet you there," I said.

"What, no!" Paul said, grabbing my arm. I turned around to face him and smiled.  
"What Paul?" I asked.

"Aren't you coming with me?" He asked. I shook my head and reached up to kiss his cheek.

"I said I'll meet you there," I whispered in his ear.

"What if I want you to come with me?" Paul asked, pushing me against the door. I looked at him and couldn't quite make out his intention.

"Paul," I whispered huskily, trying to clear my throat. He moved closer to me so his body was pressed against mine, I could feel the heat of his skin through his clothes and mine. I closed my eyes and swallowed.

"All right, as long as I get to bring you back to the office." He said. I nodded my head and opened my eyes. He had pulled away and I held my hand out.

"Come on, you can walk me to Elise's car." I said. He nodded and grabbed both mine and his jackets. We walked out and down to the parking lot.

"When we get back, can we talk?" I asked him. He nodded and ran his thumb over my knuckles. He went over to his own car and smiled.

"Feel free to pick up coffee on your way!" I said. Paul chuckled and I smiled at Elise as she arrived at her car.

"We almost kissed back in the office," I murmured.

"Hold up, what?" She asked. I nodded my head and smiled.

"Oh my goodness, how did you react Stephanie?" Elise asked.

"He pushed me against the door and then he pulled away. I would have kissed him; I wanted to kiss him so bad." I confessed. Elise smiled and turned to look at the road.

"You need to tell him how you feel Steph," Elise said. I nodded my head and looked down.

"I know and I'm going to tell him on the ride back after lunch." I said.

We arrived at the restaurant and I saw Paul standing out the front waiting for us with three cups of coffee in his hands. I smiled and got out of the car.

"Aren't you the assistant? I'm pretty sure you should have gotten the coffee." He said, frowning.

"Yeah but you have a crush on me, you will do anything I want." I said.

"Stephanie, we have gone through this a million times, I do not have a crush on you." Paul said. I raised my eyebrows and giggled softly.

"Do you think I'm pretty?" I asked, batting my eyelids up at him, and taking my coffee. Paul rolled his eyes and then I heard my soon to be ex-husbands laugh.

"Well, well, look who we've got here. Paul, I didn't know that this one worked for you." Harrison said.

"Yes, Stephanie has worked for me for just over a month." Paul said. Harrison nodded and turned to glare at me.

"So this is where you are getting your money from huh? How much extra does he pay you to sleep with him then?" Harrison said, stepping towards me menacingly.

"I'm not dealing with you right now Harrison," I said, taking a step back and shifting slightly so Paul was partially in front of me.

"All right, let's go in and wait." Harrison said. We all walked inside and sat down at the reserved table. I was sitting in the middle of Paul and Elise and I turned my attention to Elise, quietly talking to her.

"Okay, is everyone here?" Paul asked five minutes later. The table seemed full and Harrison stood up. Clearly, he was going to start this meeting. I sighed and looked down at my notepad while I took notes. All of a sudden, I felt a warm hand softly massaging my exposed knee. I felt myself blushing and I looked up at Harrison. He was staring directly at me as he talked and I turned to look at Paul. Paul was watching me and I smiled at him. He smiled back and looked down to his own notes. I was disappointed when a few moments later, Paul moved his hand. Harrison sat down and I realised that it was Paul's turn to talk. The meeting went on like this for the next three hours and to say that I was bored was an understatement.

"All right Stephanie; let's go back to the office. Elise, you're free to go home if you want." Paul said.

"Why don't I get to go home?" I asked.

"I need your help with some paperwork." Paul said. I nodded and Elise smiled.

"Well, I'm going home and getting a nap in before I come to yours this afternoon Steph," Elise said. I nodded and hugged her.

"Where is my invite to yours this afternoon Stephanie?" Paul asked when we got into the car.

"That's funny. See, I'm not inviting you." I said. Paul pouted and I smiled.

"Remember I want to talk to you when we get back to the office." I said. Paul nodded and reached over to take my hand.

"I don't think I'm going to be able to live without you Steph. I really care for you and I think you should let me be your boyfriend." Paul said. I smiled and squeezed his hand.

"I think you should be my boyfriend as well," I smiled. He grinned and we drove back to the office.

Maybe there was such a thing as true love after all.


	3. Chapter 3

"So Stephanie, what did you want to talk about?" Paul asked as we lounged on the sofa in his office.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure we covered it on the way over in the car." I said. Paul nodded and then I bit down on the inside of my cheek.

"Actually Paul, there is something else. I think that we should keep this completely hush-hush until I have completely and successfully divorced Harrison. Otherwise, he will somehow use it to his advantage." I said.

"I have things against Harrison." Paul said, playing with my fingers.

"Like what?" I asked.

"I don't want to tell you because it's going to hurt you." Paul said. I shook my head and smiled.

"Come on," I said. He smiled and shrugged.

"Okay, okay, how long were you married to Harrison?" Paul asked.

"We would have been married two years next month." I replied, staring at him curiously.

"Well, I think that in your claim you can say that he cheated on you and fathered two children." Paul said. I sat there stunned and he squeezed my hand softly.

"He has twin one-year-olds Stephanie." Paul said. I stared at him shocked and then shook my head.

"No, Harrison wouldn't have cheated on me." I said.

"He did Steph," Paul said softly. I closed my eyes and felt the tears welling up. When I opened them, Paul was staring at me.

"Steph, that whole family is bad news. If it wasn't for them, my baby boy would still be here today!" Paul said.

"That was Tamara's doing!" I replied.

"Yeah, but none of them cared enough to stop her. None of them cared enough to look after him." Paul said. I nodded and leant over to press my lips against his cheek.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. Paul nodded his head and I stood up, straightening my skirt.

"I'm gonna get going all right? You should probably get out of here as well." I said. Paul stood up and came over to me. He softly pressed his lips against mine and gave me a piece of paper.

"I'll be at my apartment all weekend if you want to come over." Paul said. I nodded and he pressed his lips against mine once more. Our noses rubbed together and I wrapped my arms around his neck.

"I've got to get going; I might come over to yours after Elise leaves tonight." I said. Paul nodded and grinned. His nose rubbed against mine affectionately again and I unwillingly took my arms from around his neck.

"See you Steph," He said. I smiled and left the room.

"So... Stephanie, you have to give me the details!" Elise said as we sat munching on popcorn.

"What details are there to give to you?" I asked.

"Well, did you tell him that you like him?" Elise said. I nodded my head and smiled.

"We kissed and it was great Elise," I sighed. Elise laughed and her cell phone started ringing.

"Hang on, it is Robert." She said, leaving the room. I nodded and started the movie. When she came back in, we talked more about Paul and then finished watching the movie.

"All right, I guess I'll go home." She yawned.

"I'll drop you off." I offered. She nodded her head and we went down to my car.

I could feel the excitement building in me after I dropped Elise off. After I made sure she got in safely, I drove off to find Paul's apartment. I found the building and looked at it. It was very extravagant. I spotted the doorman and walked over to him.

"Hi, can you please help me out? My friend, Paul Levesque lives in this building and I was wondering if you could tell me what floor I would find his apartment." I said.

"Mr Levesque owns this building Ma'am and he lives on the top floor. However, he has specifically told me that he is waiting for someone so no visitors are allowed. I am going to have to call him to see if you are the person he is waiting for." The Doorman said. I nodded and rubbed my arms, it was getting cold. I watched the Doorman as he stood chatting with Paul and then he closed his cell phone.

"Ma'am, Mr Levesque requested that you wait in the lobby and he will come and get you." He said. I nodded and smiled.

"Thank you," I said, walking into the building. I went and sat on the sofa, looking around nervously. Paul actually owned this place? It was so fancy. The elevator doors opened and Paul walked out, shaking his head blearily. I smiled and made my way over to him.

"You came!" He said as I took his hand.

"I told you I was coming," I murmured. He dragged me over to the elevator and pressed the very top button.

"You live in the penthouse suite?" I asked. Paul nodded and slid his fingers through mine. It sent shivers throughout my body and I smiled.

"Well, I suppose you only live there because you own the place," I said.

"Who told you that?" Paul asked.

"The Doorman," I replied. He chuckled and rolled his eyes.

"Wow," I said when he opened his door.

"You like it?" He asked. I nodded my head and he smiled at me.

"It took me years to get it just right," Paul said.

"Can I have a look around?" I asked, smiling up at him. Paul nodded and bent down to drop a kiss in my hair.

"I'm going to bed though because I'm tired. You can come and sleep with me if you would like or you can sleep in the spare room." Paul said. I nodded and watched as he made his way into his bedroom. I went walking around his apartment and then I saw a door that was half open. I pushed it completely open and flicked the light on. I felt the tears well up in my eyes and I looked around.

It was a nursery; it was obvious to see that. On the back wall, there were four pictures, spaced out evenly. Two were of Paul and his son and the other two were just pictures of his son. I sighed and looked around. It had been beautifully decorated in a pale green and light blue. I walked over to the crib and ran my hand across it. There were a dozen stuffed toys in it and I bit my lip. I walked over to the dresser and saw a tiny silver bracelet. I picked it up and saw **Alexander Benjamin **engraved into it. A tear ran down my face and I put it down. I left the room and walked over to Paul's bedroom. He was already lying in bed and I got in next to him. He wrapped his arms around me and I rested my head on his chest. Clearly he wasn't ready to let go of Alexander just yet. I felt his lips kiss the top of my head and I smiled softly, closing my eyes and allowing his heartbeat to lull me to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

"No, I can't. What do you mean? You did what?" I heard Paul say angrily. I kept myself nestled against his chest and heard him sigh.

"Okay, well I'll have to let my assistant know and I should be able to fly out this afternoon. Yeah, all right. Tell David that I don't want him to get involved any more, he has to leave it up to me."Paul said. I heard him throw his phone and his warm hand rubbed my back. I mumbled and rolled over.

"Get back here," Paul said. He wrapped his arm around me and dragged me back to him. I opened my eyes and stared up at him.

"Where are you flying out to?" I asked.

"I have to fly to France, there are some major problems in the offices there and I need to fix them." Paul said.

"How long are you going to be there for?" I asked.

"I can say that I'll definitely be there for at least a month." Paul said. I nodded my head and sat up. I moved my hair back from my face. I didn't know what to say to him.

"Steph, are you okay?" Paul asked. I nodded my head and smiled sadly.

"Can I get in a shower before I go?" I asked quickly. Paul nodded but looked at me confusedly.

"You're not leaving now are you?" He asked. I stood up and made my way over to the bathroom.

"No, after my shower I'll be leaving." I said, shutting the bathroom door. I stripped off and got into the shower. I felt the tears running down my face as I tried to quickly wash myself. I found a bath robe and I pulled it on. When I walked back into his bedroom, he was sitting with his head in his hands.

I walked over to him and sat down on the bed.

"We can't do this right now can we?" He asked.

"We could but I don't want a long distance relationship. Not when we're first starting out. I'm sorry Paul," I said. Paul turned to look at me and he smiled.

"It's fine," He said. I leant over and pressed my lips against his. He pulled me on top of him and I squealed. He chuckled and looked up at me.

"You know how beautiful you are?" He asked. I blushed and his nose brushed against mine.

"You better wait for me. I want you here when I get back." Paul said.

"What right here, in this very bedroom?" I asked.

"Well, if that is where you want to be." Paul said. I smiled and kissed him softly.

"You wanna give me a sending away present?" Paul asked. I laughed as he rolled me over.

"Do you know that I don't like cocky guys?" I said; starting to unbutton the shirt he had only just put on.

"I'm not being cocky, I am asking you something." Paul said. I raised my eyebrows and I pressed my lips against his hairy chin.

"We're both adults Stephanie," He said. I smiled and nodded my head.

"As long as you promise you will come back to me after six weeks no matter what. I don't care if you come back for a week, I will have some good or bad news that week and I want you here." I said.

"What news?" Paul murmured, kissing down my jaw.

"Well, that is the week my divorce will be finalised." I murmured. Paul nodded and kissed me softly.

"I promise." He said when he broke away. I grinned and pulled him back to me.

"Mmm, I guess I've got to get going." Paul murmured after a while. I smiled and slipped back into my skirt. I grabbed his t-shirt and put it on.

"Do you wanna drop me off at the airport?" Paul asked. I looked at the time and I grimaced. I looked at Paul and saw him watching me.

"Where's my girl gotta be?" He asked, walking over to me and taking my hand.

"I have to go meet with my lawyer in less than an hour." I sighed. Paul nodded his head and smiled.

"I'll email you with everything you need to do at work. Everyone will have their assigned work so everything should run smoothly." Paul said. I nodded and started kissing him softly.

"I'm trying to talk here," He murmured.

"Well shut up," I replied, kissing him again. He pulled me close against him and I smirked as I pulled away.

"We both have to leave." I said.

"All right, I'll probably have to hold web cam conferences as well while I'm over there so you won't miss seeing this pretty face." Paul said. I smiled and grabbed my handbag.

"I'll still miss you." I said.

"I'll miss you too. Feel free to stay here if you want," Paul said. I smiled and nodded my head. Paul walked me down to the car park and smiled.

"See you in six weeks?" I said. He nodded his head and pressed his lips against mine.

"I'll try to make it sooner," He promised. I nodded and got in my car. With one final wave, I left.

"Jessica, there is a lawyer from Robertson's and his client here looking for you." The receptionist said while I was in the middle of my meeting with my lawyer. Jessica looked at me and frowned.

"Were you expecting your ex-husband?" She asked. I shook my head and she stood up as they walked into the room.

"Jeremy and Harrison, it is such a pleasure to have you back here. However, why are you here?" Jessica asked.

"Well, it has become apparent to us that Stephanie has entered another relationship." Jeremy said. Jessica frowned and looked over at me.

"Is that so? With whom I might ask?" She said.

"I'm not in a relationship with anyone." I said.

"Yes you are; are you not currently dating your boss Paul Levesque, of Levesque Incorporated?" Jeremy asked. I blushed and looked down at my lap.

"No, we're not dating. I mean, we both have strong feelings for each other but I am not ready for another relationship." I said. Jessica went back behind her desk.

"Well, Harrison, according to my client, it seems to me that during the time you two were together, you fathered twin girls that have only just turned a year old." Jessica said. Harrison glared at me and I smiled.

"What do you have to say about that Jeremy?" Jessica said. Harrison walked out of the room and Jeremy followed him. Jessica and I both laughed and then she turned to me seriously.

"Are you in a relationship with your boss?" She asked.

"It's kind of complicated; after all he is my boss. We do have extremely strong feelings for each other but I don't know what will happen from that." I said. Jessica nodded and leant over to touch my hand.

"Make sure nothing happens until this divorce is finalised all right?" She said. I nodded and she put my papers away.

"I'll see you at the court hearing where everything will be settled." Jessica said. I nodded and stood up.

"Remember what I said, no relationship until after this is all finished." Jessica said. I nodded my head and left the office. I went back home and quickly ate something before I went to bed.

When I got up the next morning, I wasn't ready to go to work. Paul wasn't going to be there so I could show up a little late. I heard my cell phone start to ring and I groaned before I answered it.

"Hello?" I mumbled.

"You know, just because I'm not there, doesn't mean you can be late for the office."Paul said teasingly.

"Shut up, you're the reason I'm tired. Did you land in Paris?" I asked.

"Not yet, I just missed your voice. Why am I the reason you are tired?" Paul said.

"I was just thinking about you a lot. My lawyer said that I shouldn't start a relationship with anyone until after the divorce proceedings are finalised." I said.

"What's he fighting you for?" Paul asked.

"He wants the house. I bought that house before we were married and he wants to take it. He wants everything." I said.

"What are you fighting for?" Paul asked.

"I honestly don't know. I just told Jessica that I want him out of my life. She's organised everything." I said.

"So you would be willing to lose everything just to get him out of your life." Paul said.

"Yeah," I whispered.

"I wish I was there," Paul said.

"Why?" I asked.

"I want to give you a hug and take your pain away." Paul said

"I think that you're in more pain than me." I murmured.

"You're probably right but I have learnt to deal with my pain. I'm sending big kisses and lots of cuddles your way." Paul said.

"Aw, thanks," I said.

"All right, well I'm going to let you get ready for work. I just called to say I miss you already." Paul said. I smiled and blushed.

"I miss you too Paul," I replied. I shut my cell phone and rushed to get ready.

At the building, Elise was sitting in my office and jumped on me when I walked in.

"He's gone to France!" She said. I nodded my head and she hugged me tightly.

"I am so sorry Stephanie." Elise said.

"That's okay; he'll be back in six weeks." I said, sitting down at my desk.

"All right, I'm gonna leave you to it and get myself a coffee. Yes, I will get you one as well." She said. I smiled gratefully and she left the room. I sighed and ran my hand through my hair.

This was going to be a long six weeks.


	5. Chapter 5

I walked into the office and felt the loneliness surrounding me. It had been a week since Paul had left and I missed him so much. I sat down at his desk and turned his computer on. I logged on to my email and the messenger and saw that Paul was online. My heart started beating faster and I went to click on it but I stopped. I wanted to see if he would message me. After a minute, there was nothing and I slumped down disappointed. Then I heard the beep indicating a message and I smiled. I opened it and read it quickly.

**I'm really busy babe so I can't exactly talk. I miss your beautiful face and I can't wait to see you again. If you are still on in say an hour and a half to two hours, we can webcam. I miss you, xx.**

I smiled and started doing my work while I waited. Finally, an invitation popped up and I accepted it. My stomach was churning with anticipation while it loaded. When Paul's face came up on the screen, I smiled brightly.

"Hey Steph," He said.

"Hey," I replied.

"How are you?" Paul said. He pushed his hair out of his face and smiled into the camera.

"I'm all right, I miss you so much," I sighed, letting my hair fall around my face.

"I miss you too Stephanie," He replied.

"How is everything going over there?" I asked.

"Everything is going really well actually, I'm pretty impressed. It isn't as bad as they made out." Paul said.

"So, will you be coming back earlier?" I asked.

"I might be; it depends if a certain someone misses me too much." Paul said, a smile creeping across his face.

"Well I know for a fact that Elise misses you." I said. Paul laughed and I licked my dry lips. Paul turned his head to the side and I heard a voice in the background.

"Yeah, hang on, I'm talking to my girl," Paul said. I felt myself blushing and I smiled. He turned back to the camera and grimaced.

"It's okay Paul; go do what you need to." I said. Paul nodded and blew me a kiss. I smiled and shut the video call off.

That night, I was going to my parent's for dinner and they were questioning me on relationships.

"How is your divorce going?" Mom asked.

"It's all right, it should be over next week, and they upped the court date to next week." I said. Mom nodded and Dad looked pleased.

"What about other people, are you interested in any?" Dad asked.

"Well, I'm in the middle of something at the moment. I wouldn't call it a fully blown relationship because it is complicated at this moment in time." I said.

"Who are you getting involved with?" Dad asked. I shook my head and smiled.

"I'm not going to tell you who I am seeing." I said. I looked up at Mom and she smiled at me. I smiled back and she laughed.

"How is work going?" Mom asked.

"It's going really good, I love it there." I said.

"That's good then." Mom replied.

Just before I left to go home, my cell phone started ringing.

"Hello?" I said.

"Baby," Paul murmured.

"What's up?" I asked.

"I couldn't sleep," Paul replied.

"What time is it over there?" I asked.

"Uh, it's three-thirty in the morning." Paul said.

"Oh, it is nine-thirty at night over here are you all right?" I asked.

"Not really, I didn't realise how much I would honestly miss you." Paul murmured. I fiddled with my keys and I sighed.

"Can I stay at your apartment tonight?" I asked.

"Why where are you?" He said.

"I'm at my parent's place but it's too long of a drive back to mine." I whispered.

"Sure thing babe, I want to come home," He said.

"I want you to come home too." I murmured.

"I hope I will soon Steph." Paul said. I nodded my head and saw Dad standing in the doorway watching me.

"I guess I'll get going so I can go get settled." I whispered.

"If I come back to even one pink object in my room, you'll hear it." Paul said. I giggled and imagined him smiling on the other end.

"I'm sure that you won't. Now get some sleep." I said.

"All right, see you." He said. I shut my cell and turned to Dad who had been joined by Mom.

"Goodnight guys," I said, leaving the house.

I got to Paul's and I smiled as I took in the familiar surroundings. I went straight into his bedroom and curled up on his massive bed. The last time I was in here, I had spent the night cuddled up in Paul's arms. I could smell his scent and I hugged his pillow closer to me. As I looked at his bedside table I saw a photo of Paul and Alexander, with Alexander nestled into his chest. I sighed and stared at the picture. Paul looked as though he would have been a great Dad. I sighed and closed my eyes as I went off to sleep.

When I woke up in the morning, I stretched and looked around the room. I was definitely considering stealing Paul's bed, it was so comfortable. I got up and stretched as I looked around. I spotted the bathroom and went in to run a bath. As the bath was running I heard movement in the living room and I frowned slightly. Who else was here, Paul was in France? I walked out and saw an old lady bustling around tidying up.

"Umm... hi," I said.

"Oh, I'm sorry; my son didn't mention that he would be having anyone staying over while he was gone." The lady said. I stood there confused until it sunk in. Of course, this was Paul's mother. I blushed and shuffled my feet.

"Yeah I uh, I was having dinner at my parent's house last night and he called me and said that because it was a longer drive back to mine, I could stay here." I said.

"Ah, you must be Stephanie then, my name is Patricia and I have heard a lot about you." She said. I smiled and blushed again.

"Have you?" I asked. She nodded her head and smiled.

"Paul has told me quite a bit. Now dear, go have your bath and when you get out, I'll have breakfast made. After all, I would love to get to know you." Patricia said. I smiled gratefully and walked back into the bathroom.

When I came out, I saw there were pancakes and orange juice sitting on the table in the dining room and I smiled.

"You didn't need to make that, toast would have been fine." I said when Patricia came into view.

"Oh no dear, that is fine. Sit, let's have a talk." She said. I nodded my head and sat down at the table.

"So, I hear that you are Paul's assistant?" She asked me. I nodded my head and took a bite of a pancake.

"Listen Stephanie, I am going to get straight to the point. My son seems to truly care for you and I don't want to see him hurt like he did when he was with Tamara." Patricia said. I nodded my head and looked at her seriously.

"I'm not willing to hurt Paul. I am going through my own divorce and I know what heartbreak is. It's not the same type of heartbreak because he lost his son, but I know that together, we can help each other get through our own heartbreak." I said. Patricia looked at me for a long moment and then she stood up. I stood up as well and she enveloped me into a hug.

"It was a pleasure meeting you Stephanie." Patricia said.

"It was a pleasure meeting you as well," I said. She smiled and left. I smiled and finished eating breakfast.

It looked as though I had been accepted by Paul's family.


	6. Chapter 6

This chapter is for dldb, who gave me the idea :) Please review, I love getting them. I love hearing suggestions as well :)

* * *

Paul's Point Of View

Paris was the most romantic city in the world, that much was certain. However, it was the worst city to be in on your own. I made my way back to my hotel room and shrugged out of my jacket. I spied the remote on the table and I walked over to the television. I turned it on and lay on the sofa. My hotel room door opened and Christian, the head of Levesque Inc-France, came in.

"Hey man, you wanna go out and hook up with some pretty girls?" Christian asked.

"Nah, I'll give that a pass." I said, sitting up and unbuttoning my shirt.

"What has gotten into you? You have been here for four weeks and not once have you gone out with the boys. Buddy, what's up?" Christian asked. I sighed and rubbed my face.

"There's this girl back at home man, I really care for her and I don't want to stuff anything up." I said. A smirk crossed Christian's face and I knew I was about to get the third degree.

"You haven't told me about this, have you slept with her yet?" He asked. I punched his arm and he laughed.

"Even though it's none of your business, yes I have slept with her." I said.

"So what's this one like?" Christian asked.

"She's not a one night stand Chris, I really do care for her." I said.

"All right, so... you really care for this girl do you?" Christian asked. I nodded my head and smiled.

"Well, how about you finish up at the office tomorrow at lunchtime so you can get home to her?" Christian asked. I looked up at him and shook my head.

"I can't do that as much as I'd like to you know there is so much work left!" I said.

"I can handle the rest of that myself, this girl has gotta be something special am I right?" Christian said. I nodded my head and he smiled.

"You're going to go back to the States tomorrow afternoon man." He said. I smiled and nodded my head.

"So, do you have a picture of this girl?" Christian asked. I shook my head and my cell phone started ringing.

"That's probably her if you want to talk to her," I said. Christian bounded over to my phone and looked at the number.

"Is her name Stephanie?" He asked. I nodded and he answered the phone.

"Hello, this is the sexiest man in all of France, and quite possibly the world, how can I help you?" He said. I chuckled and he gave me the phone.

"Hello?" I said.

"Oh, I was freaking out that I called the wrong number!" Stephanie said.

"Nah, you were just talking to Christian, the head of the company over here." I said.

"Okay then, I still miss you a lot you know." She said. I smiled and for a second, considered telling her I was going to be coming back home tomorrow.

"I miss you too babe," I said.

"How is everything going over there?" She asked.

"It's all right, although I'm disappointed that I haven't found the time to go sight-seeing." I said. I heard her giggle and I closed my eyes.

"You're so funny, did you buy me anything?" She asked. I frowned, I had never thought of that.

"I was only joking; you don't have to buy me anything." Stephanie said softly.

"What if I did buy you something though?" I asked.

"I know you didn't and I don't expect you to rush out and buy me something. I actually called to tell you something." Stephanie said.

"Okay, what's that?" I said.

"Well, I'm living with my parents at the moment so I'm currently a little stressed out." She whispered.

"No babe, how did you lose the house?" I asked.

"I dunno Paul but I hate it. I came out the worse end of this divorce and I think it's totally unfair. I wish you were here." She said. I could tell she was crying and I wished I was there too.

"Babe, listen to me, I will be back soon. Then... I will help you figure something out. Hell, you can move in with me." I said. Christian spun around to face me and I sat there in shock. Had I really just said that?

"No, it's okay Paul, really. I'll let you go. See you soon." She said. The line went dead and I sighed.

Just before I went to sleep that night, I decided I was going to call Stephanie to make sure I hadn't freaked her out when I asked her to move in with me.

"Doesn't Paris have a bedtime?" Stephanie said sarcastically.

"Of course it does, I just choose to ignore it." I replied.

"Well, well, well no wonder why you are so grumpy of a morning." Stephanie replied.

"Are you tired Stephanie? I've never known you to be such an annoying bitch." I said.

"Mmm, I am tired actually and I know that you are as well. So I will forgive you for that comment." Stephanie said.

"I wanted to ask you if I had freaked you out earlier. You know, when I asked you to move in with me?" I asked.

"No, I wasn't freaked out; I was actually a little touched." Stephanie said.

"I meant it Stephanie, if things get hard at your parent's house, you can come and stay with me." I said.

"Why would I want to do that? You're my boss; I already have to put up with you at work." Stephanie said. I chuckled and heard her laughing as well.

"All right, I'm going to go to sleep now." I said, yawning.

"Oh okay then, sweet dreams." She replied.

"Babe, they're gonna be sweet because I'll be dreaming of you." I said.

"Sarcasm isn't a good tone for you," Stephanie said. I laughed and yawned again.

"Goodnight babe, I'll see you soon," I said.

"Goodnight," She whispered in reply. I closed my cell phone and went into the bedroom. I lay on the bed and fell asleep almost instantaneously.

"So Christian, if the problem isn't too major, just email me all right?" I said.

"Yeah, of course man. Wait a second, does this girl know about Alexander?" Christian asked.

"Stephanie kind of does, she doesn't know the full story." I replied.

"Are you going to tell her?" He asked.

"Yeah, of course I'm going to tell her, I can't hide that stuff from her." I said. Christian nodded and came over to me. I stood up and we hugged.

"I hope everything works out for you Paul, I really do." He said.

"Thanks man," I replied. He smiled and helped me pack up all my stuff.

"Are you excited to go back?" Christian asked.

"Yeah I am, my girl needs my support right now and I'm glad I can give it to her." I said.

Soon, Stephanie would be back in my arms, curing the ache I had for her.


	7. Chapter 7

"Good morning Stephanie!" Elise said when I walked in.

"Good morning Elise!" I replied. She was staring at me with a smirk on her face and I frowned. I continued walking to my office and when I walked in, I was shocked.

Paul was back.

"Hey Stephanie," He said. I stood there staring and he took me into his arms.

"Why are you back here, you said you were coming back next week." I said.

"Not happy to see me?" Paul asked. I closed my eyes and savoured the feeling of being in his arms.

"Four weeks away from you has been way too long," He whispered in my ear. I smiled and lifted my head to look up at him. He kissed me urgently and I pulled away, licking my lips.

"I'm coming over your house tonight." I said, sitting down at my desk.

"Oh are you just?" He said, coming over to my desk and leaning over in front of me. I nodded my head and he grinned.

"What if I don't want you to come?" He asked. I leant up and softly sucked on his lip.

"You'll want me to come over," I said.

"So, when did you fly in?" I asked.

"I got here about two hours ago." Paul said.

"What are you doing back at work?" I laughed.

"I missed you and I knew you had to be at work so I came here." He said, sitting down against the door. I walked over to him and sat next to him.

"How are you holding up at your parent's place?" He asked. I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

"Not so well but I suppose I will learn to deal with it. After all, they are my parents." I murmured.

"Mmm, I guess so but if you are unhappy there, I do have a spare bedroom. That way you can put all your stuff there and sleep in my bed." Paul said.

"I don't want to kick you out of your apartment though. I mean I appreciate the offer but then where would you stay?" Stephanie said.

"Hmm, that's a good point you've got there. I could stay at the apartment with you. That's just a thought." Paul said.

"What, you mean, we should like.... move in together?" I asked, feigning shock. Paul smiled and kissed my cheek.

"If you're okay with that," Paul murmured. I bit my lip and thought about it.

"How about we give it a trial run for a week and we'll see how it goes?" I said. He nodded and pulled me closer to him.

"Let's have a nap," He sighed. I giggled and looked at him. Then I rested my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes, I couldn't believe he was back.

When I woke up, I realised I was on the sofa. I looked around and blinked a couple of times. As everything started coming into focus, I realised that Paul was at his desk staring at me.

"Did you have a good sleep?" He asked. I nodded and sat up.

"You shouldn't have let me sleep that long." I said. Paul smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

"I was about to wake you up soon anyway, we've got some very unfortunate visitors coming." Paul said. I sighed and walked over to his desk.

"Do they have to come?" I asked.

"How about you leave when they get here?" Paul asked.

"And go where?" I asked.

"Go back home, grab your stuff and bring it over to mine." Paul said. I nodded my head and smiled.

"Can I have a kiss?" He asked. I smiled and leant forward. I pressed my lips against his and melted into the kiss. All of a sudden, I felt extremely sick and I pulled away.

"I'll be right back." I murmured. Paul nodded and I left the room.

For the past week I had been feeling really sick and vomiting. I didn't know why and I thought it was just a bug. Elise had joked that I was pregnant but she didn't know that I had sex with Paul just before he left five weeks ago. I couldn't have been pregnant though, it just wasn't a possibility. I sat on the floor of the bathroom at work and bit my lip. I didn't know how Paul would accept it if I told him I was pregnant.

"Steph," I heard him say, knocking on the door. I stood up and opened it and he smiled.

"Are you okay, you were looking really pale?" He asked. I bit my lip and I started crying.

"Hey," He whispered, wrapping his arms around me. I cried into his chest and felt him rubbing my back.

"Go back to your parent's house and start packing then come over all right? You're too much of an emotional wreck to be here today." Paul said. I nodded and we walked out into the office. Harrison and Daniel were waiting near the door and I walked over to my desk.

"See you this afternoon." I said to Paul. He nodded and I pressed my lips against his. Then I walked out of the office and down to where Elise was on the phone.

"I'm going home Elise," I said.

"Are you all right?" She asked. I shook my head and Elise stood up.

"Go ask if I can take you home." Elise said. I nodded my head and went back to the office. I walked in and Paul looked at me. I walked over to him and turned my back to Harrison and Daniel.

"What's up babe?" He asked.

"Elise offered to take me home so uh... can she have the rest of today off?" I asked. Paul nodded his head and I bent down to kiss his cheek.

"Tell her to take her laptop and continue work from my place all right?" Paul said. I nodded and left the office again.

"Let's go Elise; we need to stop by the chemist." I said.

"Why?" Elise asked.

"I think I might be pregnant." I said.

"So, what does it say Steph?" Elise asked. I looked at the stick and then at my watch.

"It's not showing yet." I said.

"Okay, I can't believe it." Elise said, pacing the room. I nodded my head and closed my eyes. When I opened them, I couldn't believe what I saw.

"Elise," I whispered, showing her the test.

"Oh my, you are pregnant." Stephanie said.

"I'm pregnant." I replied, my words echoing into the stunned silence.


	8. Chapter 8

When Paul got home that afternoon, Elise had left. I was sitting in the living room and he sat next to me.

"Hey, how are you feeling now?" He asked. I turned to face him and I nodded my head.

"I'm feeling much better." I said. Paul nodded and walked over to his bedroom. I walked in and saw him open his top dresser drawer. I watched him and saw him lift the note up. I bit my lip and he turned to face me.

"Is this true?" He asked. I nodded my head and he looked down at the note that read

**Make room Daddy... I'm moving in... If you want me to **

He shut the drawer that was filled with newborn diapers and rubbed his face.

"Do you want them to?" I asked. Paul pulled me into his arms and hugged me.

"I'm not letting you raise this baby on your own." Paul said.

"Yeah but... are you ready for another baby?" I asked.

"I wasn't ready when Alexander was born either." Paul sighed. I stood there awkwardly and he pulled me into his arms.

"Does this mean because our baby is moving in here, you get to move in here too?" Paul asked. I laughed and nodded my head.

"Well, I guess we can start working on cleaning out Alexander's nursery." Paul said.

"We can a little bit but don't throw his stuff away; I want you to keep it." I said. Paul nodded and he took my hand and dragged me to his bedroom. We cuddled up in the bed and I smiled.

"What do you want, a boy or a girl?" He asked.

"It doesn't bother me, what do you want?" I whispered.

"As long as the baby is healthy, I won't have a problem." Paul said. I smiled and turned to face him.

"Can I call my Mom and Dad and tell them?" I asked.

"What are their reactions gonna be?" Paul asked. I sighed and shrugged.

"I don't think they will be too impressed." I said. Paul leant over and pressed his lips against mine.

"Who cares?" He said. I laughed and kissed him again.

"I sure have missed you these past five weeks." I said, resting my forehead against his.

"You have no idea how much I have missed you." Paul replied.

"Are you ready for any of this?" I asked him.

"No, but I'm not ready to lose you either." He murmured.

"What's that supposed to mean Paul?" I asked.

"I don't know," He replied. I lay there staring at him and he kissed me softly.

When I woke up next, I decided to call Mom and Dad and tell them the news.

"Hello?" Mom said, answering the phone.

"Hey Mom," I said.

"Stephanie, how are you?" Mom asked.

"I'm good thanks; I want to tell you something." I said.

"What's that sweetheart?" She said.

"I'm expecting a baby with my boyfriend." I said.

"What? Stephanie, you have just come out of a divorce, did you even think about this at all?" Mom asked.

"Well, I didn't at the time no but I do know that I want this baby." I replied.

"Well, you are twenty-three years old; I can't exactly tell you what to do." Mom said.

"Are you disappointed that I fell pregnant?" I asked.

"Stephanie sweetie, it would be a different story if you were married." Mom said.

"Just because I'm not married to him doesn't mean I don't want him to be in my life forever. I know what I got myself into and the Dad wants to be involved." I said.

"That's good then honey, I'm sorry but I have to get off, your father is taking me out for dinner." Mom said.

"All right, talk to you soon." I said. The line went dead and I walked out of the bedroom.

"What's up Stephanie?" Paul asked. I shrugged and sat on the sofa.

"Are you feeling all right? Do you need anything?" Paul said.

"I just need to be alone right now." I said.

"Steph," Paul said and I turned to look at him.

"I'm scared Paul," I whispered. Paul's brow furrowed and he came closer to me.

"What are you scared about?" He asked.

"I'm not meant to be a Mom." I replied. Paul sat next to me and linked our fingers together.

"What do you mean Stephanie?" He asked.

"I've had three miscarriages before; I won't be able to survive if I have another one." I said.

"Oh babe, come here," He said, pulling me into his arms.

"Our baby is gonna be just fine. You know why Steph? Both parents are gonna be here for it. Harrison didn't want to be a father, hell he is a father now and he doesn't care for his babies. I'm gonna care for this child Stephanie." Paul said. I nodded and wiped my eyes on his t-shirt.

"Am I gonna get maternity leave?" I asked. Paul chuckled and pulled back to look at me.

"How much work do you do in the first place?" Paul asked. I shrugged and he pulled my face to his.

"I'll consider it," He replied, softly kissing along my jaw line.

"Are... are you going to tell your parents?" I asked.

"I already did, while you were sleeping. Mom is overjoyed. She said that it was a bit rushed but she didn't mind. She wants us to go over and have dinner tomorrow night." Paul said. I nodded and looked down at his t-shirt. I sighed and moved my hands forward, playing with the buttons.

"I wish my family was so supportive," I said, unbuttoning his top two buttons. I leant forward and pressed my lips against his.

"Mmm... I want you," Paul murmured against my lips. I finished unbuttoning his shirt and he pushed my backwards. I saw the lust in his eyes and knew he saw it in mine.

"Paul," I sighed. His lips captured mine again and we both got lost in the moment.

"Steph, wake up babe," Paul said. I murmured and rolled over to face him.

"I think our relationship has progressed pretty darn quickly," I murmured. Paul chuckled as I sat up and looked at him.

"That's a good point there Steph. How about we go on a lunch date and then talk at the park before we go to dinner at my parents?" Paul asked. I smiled and nodded my head.

"I'd like that a lot." I said. Paul helped me up and took me out to the kitchen. Eggs, bacon and hash browns were sitting on the table and I smiled.

"Yummy, thanks a lot." I said, sitting down and starting to eat. Paul sat down next to me and watched me.

"What are you looking at?" I asked.

"Do you realise how beautiful you are naturally, without all your makeup?" Paul said. I blushed and shrugged my shoulders.

"Well you are Stephanie," Paul said. I grinned and looked back down at my food.

"I'm going to get in a shower, eat up." He said. I nodded and watched as he left the room.

"So, are you excited at the prospect of becoming a father?" I asked. Paul shrugged and squeezed my hand.

"Steph, I'm more nervous than anything. I mean, I was only a father for three months." Paul said. I nodded and he placed his hand on the small of my back as he guided me into the restaurant. We sat down at a table and Paul gripped my hand softly across the table.

"Steph, I don't know that much about you. You want to tell me all about you?" He asked.

"There's not much to know, I married young and regretted it suffered three miscarriages, two of which were Harrison's fault and now I am pregnant to the most caring guy on the earth." I said.

"What about your family?" He asked.

"My Mom and Dad, their names are Vince and Linda McMahon, my brother is Shane McMahon. He is married to a woman named Marissa but I don't talk to him now. He refused to talk to me when I married Harrison." I said.

"What did you mean that Harrison caused two of your three miscarriages?" Paul asked.

"When he found out, he said he wasn't ready for a baby so he kicked me in the stomach. I don't want to talk about it though so please, can we just change the subject?" I said.

"Stephanie, I think I want to tell you something," Paul said. I nodded and he looked up at me seriously.

"I want to tell you about how I saw my ex-wife kill Alexander." Paul said. my eyes widened and I shook my head but he gripped his hand.

"Steph, I have never told anyone this." He said. I bit my lip and nodded.

"It's going to help me move on." Paul said. I nodded again and squeezed his hand softly as he took a deep breath.

* * *

**A.N : The next chapter is going to be in Paul's P.O.V about Alexander. Please give me reviews, I love getting feedback for my stories. :) Also, any suggestions will be welcomed either as a review or just send me a message.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Paul's P.O.V**

**One and A Half Years Earlier**

As I left the airport, I chewed on my lip nervously. I just knew something bad was going to happen, I just knew it. I pressed down on the accelerator, anxious to get home. The feeling of dread was creeping up further and further in my body and I hated it. I hated the fear and dread consuming me. I was Paul Levesque, I was strong. I rarely let myself be consumed with fear or dread. And when it did happen, something terrible would have happened.

I remember the last time I had felt like this; it was three and a half years ago, only a couple of days after my twenty-fifth birthday. I had known something bad was going to happen so I had flown back to my hometown of Nashua. Upon arrival, I had learnt that one of my close friends, Sarah Carmichael, had died. It had devastated our entire community. Sarah had left behind her three year old daughter Bethany, who was now eight years old. I hadn't seen her since the day of her Mommy's funeral.

I pulled into our driveway and got out of the car. Not bothering about my bag, I walked straight up to the door and let myself into the house.

"Tamara, where are you?" I called out. There was no reply and the house seemed eerily quiet. I started panicking and rushed to the nursery. I saw Tamara and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Paul, what are you doing here so early?" She asked, staring at me.

"I felt as though something was wrong, so I came home. Tamara, what are you doing with a gun?" I asked, seeing her run her finger across it.

"I guess you were right Paul, something is wrong." She murmured. I frowned and looked into the cot where Alexander was sleeping peacefully.

"What do you mean Tamara?" I asked wearily.

"I know you are leaving me Paul and you think I am going to take that?" She said.

"What do you expect Tamara, we haven't been getting along, I'm not staying around for that." I said.

"Well then, you'll miss out on everything." Tamara whispered. Tamara pointed the gun into the crib and I stood there, frozen to the spot.

"Tamara, what do you think you are doing?" I asked. Tamara ignored me and I stepped forward just as her eyes closed and the gunshot filled the room. I dropped to my knees and started openly sobbing. I didn't even want to see the devastation of the crib, all I knew was that my baby boy,

"I couldn't let him live with you now could I Paul? You were the one that led me to this! This is your fault!" Tamara said. I placed my hands over my face and didn't even dare to look up.

"See, you have wrecked your entire life now Paul," I heard Tamara say before the gunshot rang through the room a second time. I didn't want to look up, I knew what had happened and knew that in a matter of a minute my whole life had come crashing down.

**One Week Later...**

"Ladies and gentleman, we are here today to mourn the loss of Alexander Benjamin Levesque, a soul taken away far too soon." The Preacher said. I gulped and looked up at the tiny coffin that was situated behind him. In that coffin was my baby son, who would have been a month old today. I looked down at the tiny bracelet I was playing with in my fingers and felt a pang in my chest when it flipped over and I saw his name engraved into it. I looked up again and saw a lot of people eying me. I wasn't going to cry, I was going to be strong, no matter how hard this was.

"Paul, would you like to say something?" The Preacher asked. I looked up and tried to decide. Then I nodded my head and stood up. I walked over to the microphone and sighed.

"I would like to thank you all for coming out today. As you all know, Alexander meant a whole lot to me, he was my son and I loved him with all my heart as did everyone sitting here today. Alexander was destined to be a champion, I could feel it but he never got that chance. It's a hard thing for me to deal with but I know Alexander is sitting up there, in God's arms, watching over his Daddy, ready to boss my life around still." I said. I saw the sad smile on my Mom's face and I took a deep breath.

"What happened to Alex was a tragedy but I don't want to remember his life like that. He was here for only three short weeks but he was wrapped around everyone's fingers. Let's just say he had a certain charm just like his Daddy. I want to remember the joy he brought into everyone's lives, not what happened to him. Thanks guys," I said. Everyone was clapping and I went back and sat down. I zoned out for the rest of the funeral, not listening to what everyone else had to say. I started at my son's coffin, telling myself that it was just his body in there. I could have sworn I felt a small hand touch my cheek and as I reached up to touch it, I knew I had imagined it.

"Who is going with you to the burial?" Mom asked after the funeral service was over.

"No-one is Mom. I'm doing this part on my own." I said. Mom nodded and pulled me into a hug.

"Can you just... wait in the car and I will get a lift back with you?" I asked. She nodded her head again and I slipped away from everyone else.

After Alexander's coffin was buried, I was given some time alone.

"Hey little man, today's been really rough on your Daddy." I whispered. I looked up at the headstone and ran my hand over it.

**Alexander Benjamin Levesque**

**October 25, 2008- November 15th, 2008**

**Daddy's Little Champion**

**Forever in our hearts little buddy**

"I'm not gonna let this hold me back you know little man, you're just gonna make me stronger. I want to make you proud of your old man. I'm gonna always miss you and wish you were here but I know you're in a better place and when we get to meet again, it will be amazing. Maybe one day, you'll get some brothers and sisters. I could meet a beautiful woman and we could become a family. You're included in that buddy; you'll always be a part of my family." I said. I felt the little hand touch my face again and I smiled.

"I know that's you buddy, thank you." I murmured. Then I stood up and sighed.

"I probably won't come here a lot buddy and I'm going to apologise to you for that. However, I don't think that coming to your grave will make me remember you more. You'll always be in my heart Alexander." I said. I stood up and stared down at it for a moment and then I walked back to Mom's car.

"Are you ready honey?" She asked me. I nodded and pressed my lips together. I gripped the tiny silver bracelet tighter and as she drove away, I knew that this would be a new beginning. Alexander was up there watching me and he was going to help me make my life right, I just knew it.


	10. Chapter 10

I sat there in silence after Paul had poured his heart out to me. I had seen that very bracelet he was talking about. My eyes were glistening with tears and I refused to let them fall. Paul leant forward and gently squeezed my hand.

"Are you all right babe?" He asked. I moved around in the booth and pressed my lips against his.

"I'm fine," I sighed. He rubbed my back and I felt a couple of tears fall down my cheeks. Our food arrived so we ate and I saw him watching me.

"Do you want to talk about what I just told you?" He asked.

"Do you want us to talk about it?" I replied.

"Not really, I just wanted you to know." Paul said. I nodded and smiled.

"We don't have to talk about it then." I said. Paul smiled and continued staring at me.

"What else honey?" I said, starting to feel self-conscious.

"You're already glowing you know. You are so beautiful." He said. I smiled and looked away.

"I um, I can't come into work tomorrow morning either." I said.

"Why, what's up?" Paul said.

"I've got a Doctor's appointment, to find out when this one is due although I have a rough idea." I said.

"What's the rough idea?" Paul asked.

"I figured about January next year." I said. Paul nodded and I bit my lip.

"Can I have tomorrow morning off?" I asked. He nodded his head and stood up.

"Let's get out of here and go for a walk in the park close by." Paul said. I nodded my head and smiled. I followed him out of the restaurant and we went across to the park.

"Stephanie, I was wondering if you wanted to invite your parents to this dinner tonight as well. I would like to meet them." Paul said. I bit my lip and squeezed his hand.

"Paul, my parents aren't too happy about this pregnancy thing." I whispered frantically.

"I know, but I think they should be given the chance to meet me and get to know me as well. Then maybe they might be more accepting." Paul said. I sighed and nodded my head. I took my cell phone out of my pocket and dialled the number of my Dad's cell phone.

"Hello?" Dad answered gruffly.

"Dad it is Stephanie," I said.

"Princess, what's up?" He asked.

"Well, Paul and I were wondering whether or not you and Mom wanted to come over to his parent's place for dinner tonight?" I asked.

"Shane, Marissa, Declan and Kenny are over." Dad said.

"Oh well they are welcome too. I would love to meet my nephews." I said.

"I'll have to ask them but if they don't want to, I'll still come. Send me a message with your address and I'll get back to you." Dad said.

"Oh okay then. Thank you Daddy, I love you." I said.

"I love you too Princess, I'll see you tonight most probably." Dad said.

"Okay bye," I replied. I shut my cell phone and Paul looked down at me smiling.

"See it wasn't that bad." Paul said. I nodded my head and my phone started ringing.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Princess, how about you and Paul come over and sit with us?" Dad said. I frowned and looked around. To my right, I saw Dad, Mom, Shane, Marissa and two little boys that were spitting images of Shane. I put my phone in my pocket and dragged Paul over to my family.

"Family, this is Paul, Paul this is my family. My father Vince, mother Linda, my brother Shane, sister-in-law Marissa and their two boys." I said. Paul smiled around and the older of the two boys pointed to me.

"Aunty Steph!" He said, looking at Shane. Shane pulled the boy over to him and whispered into his ear. The boy looked up at me and grinned. He stood up and came to stand in front of me.

"My name is Declan McMahon!" He announced. I smiled and bent down in front of him.

"My name is Stephanie McMahon," I replied. He turned to look at Paul and raised his eyebrows.

"Who's that?" He asked, looking back at me.

"His name is Paul Levesque; he's the Daddy of your cousin." I said. Declan frowned and looked around.

"Your cousin is still in here," I said, pointing to my belly. His eyes widened and then he ran back to Shane. I laughed and Shane stood up.

"Paul, you mind if I take my sister away for a second?" Shane asked.

"Not at all," Paul replied.

"Sit down, and feel welcome honey," I said. Paul nodded and I walked off with Shane.

"So... how old is Declan?" I asked.

"Dec, he turned six in January. Kenyon, he's the little one, just turned four last month and we are waiting on Marissa's parents to bring back our youngest, he's just turned two last month as well. His name is Aidan." Shane said. I nodded and smiled as I looked around. I rubbed at my arm nervously and Shane pulled me into a hug.

"I've missed you so much Stephanie." He murmured.

"Why have you been ignoring me for the past seven years then?" I asked.

"When I found out that you had gotten engaged to that loser Steph, I was pissed off. I knew that guy was bad news and I tried to tell Mom and Dad but they wouldn't hear anything of it. No, Harrison was wonderful, he was great." Shane said. I pulled him closer to me and he hugged me tightly.

"Please tell me that it is actually Paul that is your baby's Daddy, not Harrison." Shane said.

"It's definitely Paul, Shane-O. Please be nice to him." I whispered. Shane nodded and we looked over at the family. Kenyon was sitting in Paul's lap and he seemed to be happy.

"Is he already a father?" Shane asked.

"His son died." I murmured. Shane nodded and gently shoved me.

"I touched you last!" He yelled, running away from me. I smiled evilly and chased after him.

"So, are you guys going to come to dinner with at my parents? Then you can all come back to mine for the night as it's a long drive." Paul said. I looked around at my family expectantly and they all nodded their heads.

"Well, we have to get ready but we will meet you out the front of their house." I said. I watched as Declan whispered something into Shane's ear. Shane looked up at me and smiled.

"Ask them," He whispered, ruffling Declan's hair.

"Nah, you ask!" Declan replied. Paul walked over to Declan and lifted him up easily.

"What's up little man?" Paul said.

"I wanna come with you guys!" Declan said. Paul looked over at me and nodded his head.

"I come too!" Kenyon cried.

"No Kenny," Marissa said. I lifted him up and he wrapped his arms around my neck.

"See you guys at Paul's parent's house." I said, walking over to the car.

"Tanks Aunty Steph," Kenyon said. I smiled and kissed his cheek.

"That went extremely well." I said to Paul when we got back to the apartment.

"Yes it did and I am glad." Paul replied. The elevator doors opened and Declan and Kenyon walked over to the door. Paul opened it and they rushed inside.

"Wow!" They said in unison. I laughed and heard Paul shut the door behind me. I turned around to face him and I smiled. He smiled back and covered my mouth with his. I moaned softly and wrapped one of my arms around his neck.

"Eww," Declan said. I pulled my mouth away from Paul's and smiled.

"I bet you see Mommy and Daddy kiss." I said to him. He shook his head and scrunched his nose.

"Kissing girls is yucky!" Declan said. I laughed and walked over to him. I pulled him into my arms and started kissing him while he screamed at me to get off of him.

"Kissing girls isn't yucky," I said to him. He laughed and hugged me.

"All right, we've got to get ready for your parent's!" I said; rubbing Paul's back. He nodded and we went into the bedroom to get ready. Knowing that everything was all right with my family now made me feel better but I didn't know how rough this dinner would be with Paul's family.

Hopefully everything was going to be all right.


	11. Chapter 11

When we got to his parent's house, I felt the nerves kick in. I watched as Paul helped Declan and Kenyon out of the car and I smiled at him.

"Don't be nervous." Paul said. I nodded my head and we walked up to the door. Declan and Kenyon stood behind us and the door opened. Paul's Mom was standing in the door and she stepped aside to let us in.

"Come on boys," Paul said. Declan and Kenyon rushed in after him and I walked in last.

"How are you feeling?" Patricia asked. I nodded my head and smiled.

"I'm good thanks Patricia." I said.

"So, was this part of your plan all along?" She hissed. I frowned and looked at her.

"Excuse me?" I whispered.

"Are you going to just wait until you give birth and then leave my son, taking his baby away from him but getting the money for it?" Patricia asked. I shook my head and she rolled her eyes.

"I don't know what has made you assume that I am that type of person but I am not." I said.

"If you hurt my son, it will be the last thing you ever do." Patricia said angrily. I stood there and nodded my head. I heard a car pull up and I looked out the front to see Marissa and Shane get out. Shane had a little boy in his arms and I stood near the door shaking.

"Are you all right?" Marissa asked. I shook my head and she pulled me out on the front porch.

"Shane go inside, I'm going to talk to her." Marissa said. Shane nodded and went inside with Aidan.

"What's up Stephanie?" Marissa asked.

"Paul's family accepted me at first right and then his Mom just accused me of having this baby so I can get money off of Paul." I said.

"Why would she do that?"Marissa asked. I shrugged and looked around desperately.

"I don't want to go in there now and face them. Not if that is how they feel!" I said. I felt warm arms wrap around my waist and I turned around.

"Just ignore my Mom okay Stephanie? She is just worried that her baby boy is going to be hurt again but he's not." Paul said. I bit my lip and he pressed his lips against my cheek.

"Mom hasn't seen us together before, she doesn't know how much I care about you." Paul said. I looked up at Marissa and she was smiling.

"Let's go inside, it's freezing out here." Paul murmured. I nodded and let him drag me inside.

"Dad, this is Stephanie. Steph, this is my Dad, Senior." Paul said. I smiled and shook hands with him.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Stephanie and congratulations on your pregnancy." He said.

"Thank you." I managed to get out.

"Gamma and Pop-Pop are here!" Declan called out. I saw Shane exit the room and Paul placed his hand on my lower back.

"Can I show you something?" Paul murmured. I looked up at him and smiled.

"Can we just wait until after dinner? I don't want my family to feel awkward." I said. Paul nodded and kissed my temple.

"So Stephanie, when are you due to give birth to our fourth grandchild?" Patricia asked during dinner.

"Uh, well we are estimating the 11th January at the moment but that is my own opinion, I am going to the Doctors tomorrow just to confirm it." I said. Patricia nodded and looked over at my parents.

"How are you two feeling about this baby?" She asked.

"Well my daughter has gone through her own rough patch these past couple of years and I am incredibly supportive of her deciding to have this baby with Paul." Dad said.

"So this was decided?" Patricia asked.

"No Mom it wasn't, he means he is supportive of her deciding to keep the baby." Paul said. Patricia rolled her eyes and looked at Mom.

"What about your opinion?" She asked Mom.

"Well, I did have reservations at first but when we met up with them earlier on today, I could see the type of relationship these two are in. They might not admit it to themselves yet, but Paul and Stephanie are in love and I think that this baby will bring them even closer together." Mom said. I smiled and then Paul gripped my hand.

"I do love her Mom." Paul said. I looked up at Paul and saw the emotion in his eyes. I had known it was a matter of time before we said it. I looked down at my lap and Patricia snorted.

"Obviously, she doesn't feel the same." Patricia said. I looked at Paul and saw him staring at me.

As I rested my head against the cabinet, I sat there thinking. I had been feeling sick all night and it had just come over me at the most inopportune time. Why hadn't I said I loved him back? I knew I did but now he wouldn't know. I heard knocking on the door and I closed my eyes. The door opened and I knew it was Paul.

"I thought it was supposed to be morning sickness." I whimpered. I felt him sit down next to me and I looked up at him.

"You know I love you right?" I whispered to him. He nodded his head and kissed my sweaty forehead.

"I'm really cold." I murmured. Paul took his jacket off and put it on me. I smiled and rested my head on his shoulder.

"Can we go home now?" I asked him.

"Give us about another half an hour, that's when your family is leaving all right?" Paul said. I nodded and he helped me stand up. We walked out into the living room and I felt really dizzy. I collapsed onto Paul and he gripped onto me tightly. We sat down on one of the sofas and I snuggled into him, closing my eyes.

"Mom, be quiet, Steph is sick and I want her to sleep." Paul said.

"She doesn't love you Paul, she is just in it for the money," Patricia hissed.

"Patricia, don't be like this," Senior said.

"I'm just speaking the truth." Patricia said.

"You don't know her Mom, she does love me. She ran off because she was about to be sick. I'm not in the mood to deal with you this time." Paul said. I felt his hand push the hair from my forehead and I opened my eyes.

"Babe, let's go home." He murmured. I nodded my head and he bent down to kiss me. I placed my hand on his cheek and sighed. He lifted me up in his arms and carried me out to the car.

"Baby, take some of the water. I don't want you to get dehydrated." Paul whispered. I nodded and took a sip of his water bottle.

"Yeah, see you soon Mom." Paul said.

"Goodbye Stephanie." Patricia murmured.

"Bye," I managed to get out. Paul got in the car and he gripped my hand.

"Let's go home baby," He murmured. I nodded and closed my eyes.

I woke up early the next morning and rolled over to see Paul sleeping peacefully, his hair fanned out everywhere. His arm moved over the top of me and travelled down the side of my body, resting on my upper thigh. I looked over at the time and realised that his alarm was going to go off any minute. I moved closer to Paul and pressed my lips against his collarbone.

"Good morning," Paul sighed. I pulled back and smiled at him.

"Morning," I whispered. Paul leant forward and pressed his lips against mine.

"Sorry about my Mom last night." Paul said. I smiled and nuzzled his nose affectionately.

"She's entitled to her opinion Paul, but I do love you. I was just waiting for you to say it first you know." I said. Paul grinned and his eyes twinkled as he stared at me.

"I love you with all of my heart Stephanie." Paul said I nodded my head and as we went to kiss again, his alarm went off. He closed his eyes again so I gently brushed my mouth over his and smiled.

"It's time for both of us to get up big man," I said. Paul groaned and rolled out of bed. I smiled and went into the bathroom to get ready.

"I'll meet you at work later on all right?" I said, just before I was about to go.

"All right, I love you baby," Paul said.

"I love you too." I replied.

When I arrived at work, I went and saw Elise.

"So, how is everything going?" Elise asked.

"It's all just fine, I'm due January 15th." I said. Elise squealed and got up to hug me.

"I've just found out I'm pregnant too. I'm due November 20th. I've already told Paul and he's so happy for me as well." Elise said. I laughed and kissed her cheek.

"I'm having a boy as well; I'm twelve weeks this week." Elise said. I screamed and hugged her tighter.

"Excuse me; can you two please quieten down? We can hear you from Mr Levesque's office." James said, coming over.

"Well James, tell Mr Levesque that if he has a problem with us screaming, he can talk to us personally." I said. James got right up in my face and then I heard Paul clear his throat.

"Is there a problem here James?" Paul asked. James shook his head and I turned to face Paul.

"What's the problem here Stephanie and why are you two incessantly screaming?" Paul asked. I pouted and shrugged.

"There was no problem until James made one and we are incessantly screaming because we were talking about exciting news." I said. Elise giggled and Paul pointed to his office.

"Get in and start work." He said to me. I nodded and waved to Elise. I walked into our office with Paul and James following me.

"So, do you have anything you want to say?" Paul asked.

"I'm uh... sorry for disrupting your staff?" I said. Paul nodded and turned his attention to James.

"Steph, Elise is going to be coming in here in a second and I need to have a serious conversation with her. I would prefer it if this conversation was done in private." Paul said.

"What's happening?" I asked.

"I just need to talk to her." Paul said. I frowned and heard knocking on the door.

"Come in!" Paul called out. He came over to me and took my hand, pulling me up.

"Paul, I haven't even told you about how the doctor's went!" I said.

"I'll only be five minutes." Paul said, pressing his lips against mine as Elise came into the room. I frowned up at him and he pleaded with his eyes. He went to kiss me again but I stepped back. I walked out and went across the street to get a coffee for myself and Elise.

As I walked back into the office, gripping my coffee tightly, Paul looked up.

"Stephanie, James had just been complaining about her so I had to give her a verbal warning and I was just asking when she was going to take her maternity leave." Paul said. I nodded and he motioned me over to the sofa. I sat down next to him and he held my hand gently.

"Okay, how was your Doctor's appointment?" Paul asked.

"It was good; the doctor said everything is normal, as expected. I'm due January 15th." I said. Paul nodded and ran his thumb over my knuckles.

"When I go back in six weeks, I want you to come with me." I said. Paul nodded and leant over to kiss me.

"I love you," I murmured.

"I love you too." I replied. We both got up and went to our desks and I started working in silence, catching up on the work that still needed to be done.


	12. Chapter 12

**Eight Months Later...**

**December, 2010**

**Paul's P.O.V**

Seeing Stephanie pregnant was the most beautiful thing in the world. She had decided that she was going to be working all the way up to the week before her due date and take the time off after she gave birth to our baby. Her belly was really big now and it was so darn cute to see her waddling around everywhere. At the moment, she was sitting at her desk and I could tell she was about to fall asleep at any moment. Her hormones had been going crazy all her pregnancy and she had become a night owl. There was knocking on the door and Stephanie jumped in her chair.

"You all right there babe?" I asked, as she got up. She nodded her head and opened the door.

"Oh my goodness, you brought him into work!" Stephanie cooed. I looked up to see Elise standing there with her two week old son, Noah. She came into the office and my phone started ringing. I picked it up and smiled as I saw the tuft of blonde hair sticking out the top of the blanket.

"Paul Levesque's office, this is Paul." I said.

"Since when do you answer your own phone?" Christian said.

"Since my girlfriend is ogling at the future husband of our baby girl." I replied. Stephanie turned around and grinned at me and I smiled back.

"Ah okay, so is everything set for the transfer?" Christian said.

"Yeah it sure is; James said he is flying over there this afternoon." I said. Christian had requested to come back home and the only suitable choice to run my company in France was James. No-one here liked James all that much so it would be a good move.

"All right man, I'm flying back about ten o'clock tonight." Christian said.

"Having you back here is going to be so much fun man." I said.

"I know, right? We might have to kick Stephanie out of your office and put me in there." Christian laughed.

"I don't think Stephanie would mind, I think I annoy the shit out of her now. We could kick her off to Elise's section, make that like the maternity wing and then we don't have to put up with babies crying!" I said. I saw Stephanie and Elise both shoot me death glares and I laughed.

"Tell Christian to stop being an asshole." Stephanie said. I laughed and heard Christian laugh as well.

"I was the one that thought of that idea." I said to her. She brought Noah over to me and placed him in my arms.

"Elise and I are going for a coffee." She said. I nodded and looked down at Noah.

"Chris, I gotta go, I'm minding Noah. See you soon yeah?" I said.

"Yep, see ya." He replied. I put the phone down and pulled Noah closer to my chest. It was scary to think that in about a month's time, I was going to be holding my own little baby. The last time I had held a baby this small was with Alexander.

When Stephanie and Elise came back in, I smiled at them.

"Was Noah a good boy?" Elise asked.

"Of course he was." I replied. Stephanie waddled over to me and pressed her lips against mine.

"I'm going to go to the toilet." She announced. I nodded and watched her as she went over to the bathroom.

"What's up Elise?" I said.

"Robert left me." She sighed. I walked over to her and hugged her tightly.

"He's kicked me out of the house and that crazy girlfriend of yours thinks that I'm moving in with you." Elise said.

"Well, if you don't feel comfortable with that, a person that was living in an apartment just below us has just moved out. You can live there." I said.

"I won't be able to afford that." Elise said.

"I'm the owner of the building; you don't have to pay me. I just want you and Noah to have a secure place." I said. Elise's eyes welled up with tears and I kissed her forehead.

"Oh wow, I'm only in the bathroom five minutes and I come out to see my guy all over another woman." Stephanie said. I smiled and made my way over to her. She stretched and pressed her lips together.

"Babe, you know that you're my only one." I said. Stephanie blushed and Noah started whimpering. Elise took him and then turned to look at me.

"You know where I live, come to mine this afternoon. I'll try and fix up a nursery for you in the apartment. Get home and pack your bags." I said. Elise nodded and left the room.

"How is she coping?" I asked Stephanie. Stephanie shook her head and straightened my jacket. Then she started fixing my tie and I placed my hand on her belly.

"I guess she is doing as best as she can. I mean, I would struggle too if I had a newborn baby and the Daddy walked out. You better not do that." Stephanie said. I nodded my head and captured her lips with mine. She pulled away and stared at me for a couple of seconds. I stared back at her and she turned away. I walked over to her and kissed her neck softly.

"I'll be back in a second," I said to her. She nodded and I made my way over to the door.

"I love you Stephanie," I said. Stephanie turned to look at me.

"I love you too Paul." She replied. I smiled and left the office, going down to talk to Christian.

As I made my way back to my office, I heard voices in there.

"I don't want to talk about this." Stephanie said. I frowned and moved closer to the door.

"Stephanie, I know you have been getting upset with him lately haven't you? He hasn't been treating you right. I know I was like that once but I'm a changed man. Having Emma and Sarah, my girls, in my life I have found out what my priorities are. Steph, you are my priority now." A voice said. There was silence so I threw open the door. What I saw nearly made me sick.

Harrison was there.

He was kissing my fiancée.

As they broke apart, I saw Stephanie look at me with pure shock and fear in her eyes. I walked in, grabbed my briefcase and walked out.

"Christian, come with me now, before I do something I regret." I said, through my teeth.

"Paul, please!" Stephanie begged. I turned around, my fists clenched and when I saw her I had to turn away.

"I'm not in the mood to talk to you right now Stephanie." I said.

"Paul, please!" She squeaked, her voice breaking. I looked at her and saw the fear in her eyes. Harrison was walking up behind her and I walked over to Stephanie.

"Don't leave," She whimpered. I nodded my head and we went back to our office.

"Paul, I didn't want that to happen!"Stephanie said and I smiled at her.

"I know I let my emotions get the better of me. I'm sorry Stephanie; I didn't mean to hurt you in any way." I said, wiping her tears from her face with my thumb.

"Paul, I love you." Stephanie said. I nodded my head and pressed my lips against hers.

"I love you too. Stephanie, you mean so much to me and I don't want to jeopardise that." I said. I saw my words sink in and she looked up at me with so much love in her eyes.

"Let's get out of here," I murmured. Stephanie nodded and I wrapped my arm around her.


	13. Chapter 13

I went straight to the bathroom when I got home and I took my hair out, letting it fall in loose waves down my back. One of the things Paul loved about me most was my hair. He was always playing with it and running his fingers through it. I unbuttoned my top and slid out of it. As I walked out of the bathroom and into the bedroom, I saw Paul had already left out one of his big shirts for me. Since I had a big belly now, I had grown accustomed to stealing the shirt that he was usually wearing so a shirt could actually fit me. I pulled the shirt on and took my work pants off to replace them with maternity track pants. I felt so much better and I felt our baby girl start to kick me.

"Yeah, it is better now Mommy hasn't got tight clothes on isn't it honey?" I said, rubbing my hand over my belly. I went out into the living room and smiled at Paul, who was sprawled out on the lounge watching baseball.

"Honey, are you serious?" I said, walking over to him.

"Aw, come on, baseball is one of the greatest sports in the world." Paul said, sitting up so I could sit next to him.

"You are a guy; any sport is the greatest sport in the world." I said. Paul smiled as I placed my legs in his lap.

"Princess, you're gonna have to get used to this. Your Daddy is going to try to make you a baseball fan, a basketball fan and any other sport fan that he possibly can." I said to my belly, looking up at Paul and smirking.

As soon as I said that, Paul turned the TV to a different channel and turned to place his hands on my belly.

"Hello princess, this is your Daddy and Mommy can be really mean to me. I just don't want you to become a fan of shopping. Baseball and basketball are much more practical." Paul said. I laughed at him and he hovered over me to kiss me softly.

"Even though, she's mean to me Princess, I love her very much. She's going to be a great Mommy to you." Paul said. I smiled at him and the baby kicked.

"She's listening to you honey," I said. Paul smiled and leant over to kiss me again.

"Let's go lay in the bedroom and we can watch a movie and talk." Paul said.

"What's wrong with here?" I asked.

"I can't cuddle up to you here." Paul murmured. I nodded and got up.

"Did you set up the room for Elise?" I asked.

"Christian is doing that as we speak. Come on," He said. I waddled back into the bedroom and we lay on the bed.

"Paul, do you realise that we're going to be parents in about a month? Aren't you scared?" I asked. Paul ran his hand over my belly and smiled.

"I'm not exactly scared, more nervous. I mean, it's going to be our baby girl and I want to be there for her. What with the company and all, it's going to make it harder. Especially when you take your maternity leave, I won't have a receptionist. Even though you do more than that anyway," Paul said.

"Well, how about I just come back to work?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" Paul said.

"I don't need to take maternity leave as long as we can set up a little part of the office for our Princess. I just wouldn't want the mountains of work I've been getting now, especially since I'll have to look after a baby." I said. Paul shook his head and smiled at me.

"Elise is on her maternity leave right now and she had the same idea as you. Baby, please, I want you to take your maternity leave. You're gonna need it and you deserve it." Paul said. I sighed and traced shapes on his forearm that was on top of my rounded belly.

"I'll think about it all right?" I said. Paul kissed the back of my neck and played with my shirt.

"Paul, how do you feel about this baby?" I asked, turning over to face him.

"I feel that this baby is going to bring us closer together honey. I love you so much already but you know what? This baby is going to help me heal. I just hope I'm going to be a good Daddy." Paul said. I smiled and nodded my head.

"You are honey, I love you and I know you are going to be the greatest Daddy in the world. You were with Alexander." I said. Paul smiled at me happily and I saw the emotion in his eyes. He had obviously never heard that.

"After Alex died, even Mom and Dad blamed me. They said I should have wrestled her for the gun." He whispered.

"What, and then she would have killed you, Alexander and herself. That wasn't how it was supposed to go Paul, you were supposed to meet me and we were supposed to have our own babies together." I said. Paul leant over and pressed his lips against mine. I tangled my hand in his hair and pulled him closer to me. I rolled over to lie on my back, while Paul spooned my side and we kissed again. His warm lips drove me crazy and his tongue ran across my bottom lip, eager for entry into my mouth. As my lips parted, his tongue dove into my mouth and I fought back with my tongue, fighting for dominance. I moaned softly and he growled in reply. We finally separated for air and I smiled at him, his eyes twinkling at me with his mischievous grin on his face.

"You know, I've been thinking lately that the only reason you hired me was because you wanted in my pants." I said. Paul smiled and shook his head.

"That wasn't the only reason. It was one of the reasons though." Paul said. I smiled and grinned. I heard a baby crying outside our bedroom and I frowned.

"Oh, Christian and Elise would have had to come up here to take some of our food." Paul murmured. I nodded my head and he pressed his lips against my cheek.

"I'll be right back baby," He said. I nodded my head and he left the room.

When Paul came in, he smiled at me and tossed me a water bottle.

"Elise is all settled with Noah." He said. I nodded my head and he came back to me.

"I'm tired so I am going to go to sleep. Goodnight honey," I said.

"Goodnight baby." Paul replied, cuddling up to me again our fingers wove together and rested over my belly as I went to sleep, the soft kicking of our daughter comforting me.


	14. Chapter 14

**Patricia Levesque's Point of View**

**One Month Later**

"Patricia, calm down, Paul is a big boy." My husband said to me as I paced the living room.

"Paul Michael Levesque Senior, I will not calm down. This girl is all wrong for him!" I said angrily.

"You didn't seem to think that until you found out she was expecting his child." Paul said. I turned to glare at my husband.

"That's because she is just using him for his money Paul!" I said. Paul rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"No she's not Patricia but I am not arguing this with you." Paul said, walking out of the room. I sat there fuming and decided that I was going to call Paulie–what I always used to call Paul- and ask both him and Stephanie to come around for dinner this afternoon. I grabbed the phone and dialled his number.

"Hey, this is Stephanie speaking," Stephanie said as she answered the phone.

"Is Paulie there?" I asked, not even bothering trying to hide the contempt in my voice.

"Uh, he's actually just nicked down to the apartment below us because he was just helping Elise finalise her moving today." Stephanie said. I rolled my eyes and sighed.

"How are you going with your pregnancy?" I asked.

"I'm um... I'm going very well thank you. I think our Princess is just ready to get out already." Stephanie said.

"Okay, well when Paulie gets back in, can you tell him to call me?" I said, trying to make the conversation.

"Oh uh, sure thing, he should be back soon. See you later Patricia." Stephanie said. I put the phone down and Paul came back into the room.

"You're going too hard on that girl you know." He said, before he left the room again.

When Paul didn't call back in about half an hour, I decided to call back myself.

"What?" Paul answered the phone with. I was taken aback by the tone of his voice.

"Honey, it's me, are you all right?" I said.

"Yeah Mom, I'm just fine all right? Look, I'm going to have to call you back later." Paul said.

"No Paulie, I want to talk to you right now. I don't care what you and that girl are doing, I want to talk to you." I said.

"Mom, I honestly don't care all right?" Paul said.

"That girl has changed you for the worst Paul Michael Levesque Junior!" I almost yelled.

"Mom, just shut up all right! 'That girl' is in labour right now, getting ready to bring another one of your grandchildren into the world. I want you to stop disrespecting her dammit!" Paul said angrily.

"Whatever, do you want me to come to the hospital?" I asked softly, immediately feeling guilty.

"You know what Mom, until you can get your attitude right about Stephanie and our baby daughter, I don't want you coming anywhere near them. So now it is time for you to make a decision. Whether you want to be a part of mine, Stephanie and our daughter's life or if you don't, I don't care either way. Goodbye Mom," Paul said. The line went dead and I put the phone down, silently cursing myself. My son had just given me the worse ultimatum I could handle. Of course I wanted to be in both his and my granddaughter's life but I still didn't believe I could trust Stephanie. There was something just off about her and I didn't like it.

"Paul," I called out after sitting in silence for an hour. I heard my husband's slow footsteps and he came into the living room.

"Yes dear?" He asked.

"I think we should go to the hospital to show support for Paul and Stephanie." I said slowly.

"Are you sure you want to go and will you be able to contain your feelings about Stephanie?" Paul asked. I nodded and he smiled softly.

"All right then sweetheart, let's get ready to go." Paul said. I smiled and we left the house straight away. I could feel my heart beating faster in anticipation and I wondered if Stephanie had already given birth. I hadn't known how many hours she had been labour, maybe she hadn't told me on the phone earlier because I was being incredibly rude.

When we arrived at the hospital, we had to wait outside the room as she was in the process of giving birth. I knocked on the door and Paulie glanced over, smiling in acknowledgement at me. I heard Stephanie scream and I grimaced. The poor girl wasn't coping very well. I sat down on the chair next to the door and my husband sat next to me. About half-an-hour later, we heard baby crying fill the air around us and I looked at Paul awestruck.

"That's our grandbaby honey," I said. Paul smiled and nodded his head.

"Now, Stephanie is stuck as part of our family Patricia. I don't see why you don't like her. She is much better than that Tamara girl." Paul said to me. I sat there, letting those words sink in and realised that my husband was right and I was putting this girl through nothing. Paul came rushing out and he smiled down at us all sweaty.

"Mom and Dad, I've got my little girl! She's so beautiful!" Paul said. As I looked at my son's face, I could see how proud he was and I smiled back.

"Congratulations Paulie, tell Stephanie we are very proud of her." I said, lifting up to hug him.

As I walked into the hospital room, what I saw was truly a moving sight. My baby boy was standing next to the bed where Stephanie was sitting upright holding a small bundle wrapped up in a blanket. As I took a few more steps into the room, Paul looked over at me hesitantly and Stephanie looked up. She was absolutely beaming as she gently bounced my new grandchild up and down.

"Congratulations Patricia, would you like to meet your new granddaughter?" Stephanie said. I smiled as I walked forward to take a closer look.

Maybe I could accept Stephanie after all.


	15. Chapter 15

My beautiful little girl scrunched her face up and her fists clenched as she stretched her little body out.

"Come on Princess, open your eyes and let Mommy and Daddy see your beautiful eyes." Paul said, his hand rubbing my thigh. I smiled as our daughter whimpered and slightly chuckled.

"She's just like her Mommy, doesn't like listening to Daddy." I said. Her tiny little eyes opened for a second or two and then she shut them again tightly. I smiled and looked up at Paul.

"She's beautiful." I whispered. He nodded his head and smiled.

"What do you know; she got that from her Mommy as well." Paul said. I laughed and kissed him softly.

"So have you two decided on a name for your beautiful little girl yet?" Elise asked. Both mine and Paul's parents looked up curiously and I smiled.

"Paul honey, do you want to want to tell them or do you want me to tell?" I said.

"I'll tell them, like we promised." Paul said. I nodded and he smiled as I yawned.

"We decided on the name Kaliyah Alexis Levesque." Paul said. I looked over at my parents and saw them smiling and then I looked at Paul's parents, whom were also smiling.

"That is a beautiful name for such a beautiful little girl." Mom said. I smiled and closed my eyes.

"The visiting hours are almost over and Stephanie is tired. I think everyone should start to head home. It's been a long day for her." Paul announced. I tried to open my eyes but they were so heavy I just couldn't. I sighed and rubbed Kaliyah's back softly. I felt Paul's warm hands gently lift Kaliyah up from my chest and I presumed he was taking her to her crib.

"Are you staying tonight Paul?" I asked.

"Yeah I am honey, if you want move over in the bed a little bit." Paul said. I nodded and moved over in the bed. He climbed into the bed and cuddled up to me.

I woke up earlier the next morning to Kaliyah whimpering. I saw Paul was up and moving around and I smiled at him.

"Hey baby," I said.

"Hey honey," He replied, looking over at me as he straightened his tie.

"Bring our daughter to me?" I asked. Paul nodded and lifted her up. He gently pressed his lips against her forehead and carried her over to me.

"Where are you getting off to?" I asked softly as he placed Kaliyah into my arms.

"I have to go to work today baby." Paul said. I sighed and nodded my head.

"Your Dad said he is going to come in today as well and everyone else is barred from coming." Paul said. I frowned and Paul passed me a bottle he had just heated up.

"What do you mean?" I asked, putting the bottle in Kaliyah's mouth.

"He just said that to me." Paul said. I nodded my head and Paul brushed his mouth over mine.

"I'll be back this afternoon all right?" He said. I nodded my head and smiled at him as he ran his finger across Kaliyah's cheek. Then he left the room and I was left alone with our baby.

"Stephanie?" I heard Dad say about an hour later.

"Hey Dad, come on through." I said. Dad opened the curtain and smiled at me.

"How's Kaliyah?" He asked.

"She's doing great; I'm in the middle of changing her diaper as you can see." I said. Kaliyah was squirming on the bed and I finished doing up her diaper. She let out a cry and I looked down at her worriedly.

"Hey baby girl, there's no need for that. Mommy is just about to pick you up; I just need to get you into your clothes again baby." I said. I put her jumpsuit on her and looked up at Dad.

"What's up Daddy and why did you want to talk to me all on my own?" I asked. Dad smiled and sat down next to the bed.

"I just wanted to talk to my beautiful daughter without being interrupted." Dad said. I nodded and smiled my head, lifting Kaliyah up to my chest and rubbing her back softly.

"Stephanie, I just wanted to let you know that I am so proud of you. I know you have been through so much but having your daughter has been a great healing process for you. Paul is a great guy and I am glad that you decided to have a child with him and not stick around with Harrison." Dad said. I smiled and nodded my head.

"This way, Kaliyah is going to be raised in a proper family like I was." I said, smiling at him. Dad nodded his head and grinned.

"You know, for years I thought that Harrison was right for you and that you two would always be the ones to have children but after that first time, where he made you have that miscarriage, I was angry. I wanted to kill him and take you away from him but I couldn't do it." Dad said. I could see his eyes tearing up and I gripped his hand.

"The point is Dad, I made it out and I am now a better person because of it." I said. Dad nodded and looked down at Kaliyah.

"I remember when you were that little curled up in your Mama's arms. She wouldn't let me touch you because you were so tiny." Dad said. I laughed and Kaliyah whimpered as I wrapped her blanket around her.

"You can hold Kaliyah if you want." I said. Dad nodded and I passed her over to him.

Dad left just after lunchtime and my phone started ringing. I silently cringed as I had just gotten Kaliyah down for a sleep.

"Hello?" I whispered.

"Oh hey baby, is Kaliyah napping?" Paul asked. I smiled at the sound of his voice and lay back on the bed.

"She sure is, how's work?" I said.

"It's absolutely boring; I'm leaving in a minute to come back to the hospital. Do you want me to bring you food?" Paul said.

"Ooh, that'd be good. I'll see you soon; I want to get in a nap before Kaliyah wakes up." I said.

"Okay, I'll be there in about an hour, I love you and Kaliyah so much honey," Paul said.

"We love you too Paul," I replied. The line went dead and I closed my eyes, trying to get to sleep before Paul came in.


	16. Chapter 16

**Paul's POV**

Kaliyah was the most beautiful baby girl I had ever seen in my entire life. In so many ways, she reminded me of Alexander but then again, she was going to have a completely different lifestyle to Alexander. Alexander had been born into a world full of anger and animosity between his parents but that wasn't going to be the same with Kaliyah. I loved Stephanie with all of my heart. Now that I saw Kaliyah, sleeping peacefully in her crib, I nodded my head, answering the question that had been in my head all those months that Stephanie's belly had grown. I was going to ask Stephanie to marry me. I just needed to find the right time. I looked across to the bed and saw Stephanie sleeping just as peacefully as Kaliyah. I smiled and put the food down on the dresser. A nurse came into the room and smiled at me.

"You must be the Daddy?" She asked. I nodded my head and she smiled.

"We need to take your daughter for some tests, would you like to come?" She asked. I nodded my head again and took my jacket off. I left it at the end of Stephanie's bed and I gently lifted Kaliyah up into my arms. I followed the nurse out of the room and Kaliyah started whimpering.

"So, how is Stephanie holding up?" I asked.

"Oh, Stephanie is doing very well. Especially for someone with her previous medical conditions," The midwife said. I frowned and looked down at my daughter.

"It's usually tougher for someone who has had depression previously to form a certain bond with their child. I'm not trying to judge Stephanie in any way but I think it would be wise to just watch her for a while and if she starts to struggle, get her to her doctor. We don't need to take any risks." She said. I nodded my head and looked back at the room. Stephanie hadn't told me she had suffered from depression. I made a mental note to talk to her later about it. Kaliyah was taken from my arms and I was told to wait outside while the tests were done.

While I was outside, I kept thinking about what the Doctor told me about Stephanie and I realised that it honestly wasn't any of my business. It was the past, and that's where it should stay. She must have had her reasons to not tell me. The Nurse came back out and she placed Kaliyah in my arms.

"When Stephanie wakes up, tell her to press the buzzer and we will come in and discuss the results." The Midwife said. I nodded and took Kaliyah back to the bedroom. Stephanie was sitting up in the bed and she smiled at me when I walked in.

"Hey," She whispered, sliding out of the bed and walking over to me.

"How was your little nap?" I asked. Stephanie smiled and nodded her head.

"It was good, thanks for asking." She replied softly. She was rubbing her belly and I saw her slightly wince. I leant over and placed my hand softly on her stomach.

"It's just hurting slightly." Stephanie said. I nodded my head and pressed my lips against hers. I felt one of her hands rest over Kaliyah and her other one gripped onto my belt.

"Woo, day two of motherhood and my sexy guy still thinks I'm gorgeous enough to kiss on me!" Stephanie said.

"You're always gonna be gorgeous enough to kiss on." I replied. Stephanie smiled and then I remembered what the Midwife said.

"Oh, you need to press the buzzer so the Midwife can come in and discuss the results with us." I said. Stephanie nodded and she pressed the buzzer.

"Now we wait," She said, looking up at me. I stared back at her and I smiled.

"You know, it's weird to think that I only met you eleven months ago and now we have a daughter together." I said. Stephanie nodded and ran her finger down Kaliyah's cheek just as the Midwife came in.

After the Midwife left, Stephanie took Kaliyah from my arms and hugged her softly.

"How was your visit from your Dad?" I asked.

"It was good. Daddy just wanted to tell me that he was so proud of me and that I would always be his little girl." Stephanie said. I saw the love she had for her father shine through her eyes and I hoped Kaliyah would have that same love for me.

"How was work?" Stephanie asked me.

"It was tiring but I shall live. We're going through some more problems in France and I'm trying my best to fix them. It seems as though James isn't as good as he makes out." I said, wrapping my arm around her back. Stephanie sighed and smiled.

"When you take me home, we need to stop by the office to show our Princess off to everyone." Stephanie said. I nodded my head and kissed the top of her hair.

"I would like nothing better than to do that Steph." I said. Stephanie walked over to the bed and sat down.

"I've been thinking... we should make this family official." Stephanie said. I looked at her curiously and she smiled.

"I think we should get married." Stephanie said. I stared at her shocked and decided to play it off cool.

"All right Miss McMahon, you beat me to the cut. I was gonna ask you that question. I'll marry you but I still want to propose. You just won't know when it shows up." I said. Stephanie smiled and I followed her over to the bed.

"I bet you won't wait that long." Stephanie said.

Game on, Steph, game on.


	17. Chapter 17

"So... are my girls ready?" Paul asked coming in all dressed up. Today was the day that we were going home with little Kaliyah. I smiled and looked him up and down.

"Where are you going today?" I asked

"Oh, we have to stop by the office; I left my laptop there yesterday." Paul said. I nodded my head and put a little headband on Kaliyah's head. She whimpered as my hands touched her face and I smiled.

"My hands are cold aren't they Princess? I'm sorry." I said. Paul came over to me just as I lifted Kaliyah up and put her in the capsule.

"There we go, now does Daddy want to carry the bags down while Mommy carries you to the car?" I said. Paul smiled and picked up my bags. The midwife came in and smiled at us.

"All ready to go?" She asked. I nodded my head and grinned.

"Take care!" The Midwife called out as we walked out of the place.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Paul asked me. I nodded my head and watched him carefully. Something was different about him. He was more worried about me with Kaliyah. We got to the car and I watched as he put Kaliyah inside.

"So, what's up with you? Why don't you trust me with our daughter?" I asked.

"I do trust you with Kaliyah baby." Paul said.

"Uh huh, so who told you about my depression?" I asked. Paul sighed and looked down sadly.

"I didn't want to bring it up Stephanie, I really didn't. The midwife just thought I knew." Paul said. I nodded and looked over at him.

"That's okay; I was suffering from depression when I was eighteen years old because I suffered my first miscarriage. I think I had every right to be depressed." I said.

"Of course you did baby and I'm sorry if you feel as though I don't trust you. I do trust you with Kaliyah baby but if any of these feelings come back, please tell me so we can do something about it all right?" Paul said. I nodded and leant over to kiss him. I looked back at Kaliyah and smiled softly. I did love my daughter, I know I did. I wasn't going back to where I was before, not if I had anything to do with it.

We pulled into the car park at Levesque Inc and Paul turned to look at me.

"Are you mad at me?" He asked. I shook my head and sighed.

"I'm not mad at you I just don't want you to worry about this Paul. I'm a big girl and I know what I went through was bad. I have moved on though." I said. Paul nodded and we got out of the car. I opened the back door and lifted Kaliyah out. Paul was holding a blanket out and I placed her in it so he could wrap her up.

"Give her back," I said. Paul smiled and placed her in my arms.

"All right, come on." I said, holding his hand with my other one. We walked into the office and I didn't realise that so many people where excited to see our daughter. As we made our way into Christian's division, Christian took Kaliyah from my arms and I smiled.

"Babe, can you go to my office and get my laptop?" Paul asked me. I nodded and he leant over to press his lips against mine. I walked over to Paul's office and went inside. I grabbed his laptop and the laptop case and walked back out.

"So, how long until you two get hitched?" Christian asked when I walked back to Paul's side. Paul was holding Kaliyah close to his body and he glared over at Christian.

"That is none of your business." Paul said.

"Yeah, who said we aren't already married." I said. Paul looked at me and I shrugged.

"We're not but we could be and maybe we didn't want people to know." I said.

"That makes no sense." Paul laughed.

"I don't think you should laugh at me Paul, two days ago, I was giving birth to your daughter." I said. Paul nodded and kissed my forehead.

"I know, I'm sorry," He murmured.

"So Steph, are you and Paul up to a business dinner this afternoon?" Christian said.

"I guess so. Paul honey, if we're going to that tonight, I want to go home and get some sleep. I'm sure that Kaliyah would appreciate that as well." I said. Paul nodded and placed his hand on the small of my back.

"See you tonight then Christian." He said as we left.

After getting home, I was so glad that I would be able to fall asleep in our bed. Paul set the bassinet up for Kaliyah in our room so that he could feed her and put her in. As he walked in with her after her feed, I watched him sleepily.

"Are you coming to bed Mister?" I asked softly. Paul chuckled and bent down in front of the bed. I placed my hand on his cheek and ran my hand over his light yet smooth facial hair.

"If I get into that bed, I'm not going to want to come out. I figured I might go to the gym down a couple of floors. If you need me, call my cell phone. I'll be back an hour and a half before we are due to go." He said. I nodded and he leant forward to kiss me.

"See you soon," He said. I nodded and closed my eyes, falling asleep instantaneously.

Kaliyah's whimpering brought me out of my slumber about two hours later. I sat up and pulled her bassinet over.

"Hey Princess," I murmured, lifting her out and resting her against my chest. She felt silent and I smiled. I stood up and kept her support with one hand on her head and the other on her bum.

"You want to go and find Daddy?" I said, kissing the top of her brunette hair. I took her out into the living room and saw Paul just walking through the front door.

"Hey!" I said.

"Hi baby, we've got to get ready for tonight." Paul said. I nodded and he came over to kiss me softly.

"You're all sweaty," Was all I managed to protest.

"Mmm," Paul replied, managing to make the kiss deeper. Kaliyah moved and I pushed Paul away.

"Go get in a shower. I'm going to get Kaliyah a bottle before she goes back to sleep and then when you get out, you can dress her." I said. Paul nodded and walked into the bathroom.

"You didn't drink your entire bottle before Kaliyah, you should have. Let's see how much you get in this time." I said.

When we arrived at the restaurant for the dinner meeting, I saw Christian, Elise (with Noah) and a couple of other people from Levesque Inc.

"Are Harrison and Daniel going to be coming to this meeting?" I asked, as Paul got Kaliyah out. I was putting on a sling harness for Kaliyah and I laid a blanket on the bottom of it. Paul put Kaliyah in and then I put a light wrap on top, covering Kaliyah completely. The restaurant was going to be air-conditioned and as we had her dressed up, I wanted her to stay warm.

"I assume they might be, they always come to the important meetings. There is also another group of Levesque Inc people coming except, they're not called Levesque Inc. This is that company down in Texas you know?" Paul said. I nodded and smiled. Paul had told me all about that company, the Michaels Group.

"That's the one that Shawn runs completely right?" I asked. Paul nodded and wrapped his arm around my back.

"He was coming up for the meeting and he just messaged me saying his children are going to be coming with him as well as his wife." Paul said. We walked over to Christian and he smiled.

"They changed the plans, this is just going to be a congratulatory party due to the wonderful work all our businesses did last year. Everyone is bringing their wife or husband and children so it looks like Kaliyah won't be the star of the show." Christian said.

"Yes she will be because she is the littlest." I replied. Paul chuckled and I walked over to Elise.

"How are you going?" I asked.

"I'm going all right actually; look at that cutie that has just arrived." She said, motioning behind me. I turned to stand next to her and saw whom she was pointing too and she was right, he was cute. He was holding the hand of a little girl and trailing behind him was another little girl and an older boy. The girls looked like twins.

"I think you should go for it." I said to her.

"Are you kidding? He has three children, he is probably married!" Elise said. The man approached Paul and started talking to him.

"How is Noah?" I asked.

"Noah is going great. Robert still hasn't seen him. The last time he saw him was when he told me he wanted nothing to do with me anymore." Elise said. I sighed and looked down at Noah, whom was resting in a harness on Elise's chest.

"Steph, come over here!" Paul called out. I took Elise's hand and dragged her over to Paul and the cute blonde guy.

"Stephanie and Elise, this is Chris Irvine and his children, Ash and his twin girls Cheyenne and Sierra." Paul said. I smiled and Chris moved forward to kiss both mine and Elise's cheeks.

"What's your son's name?" Chris asked Elise.

"His name is Noah." Elise replied, blushing a little bit. Chris smiled and I looked down at the little girls standing together now. Ash had run off somewhere and Paul moved quickly after him, before he took off too far away.

"Oh great, here comes Harrison and his new girl." I said, rolling my eyes. We were all getting ready to head inside and they were walking quickly. Both had a little girl in their arms and I assumed they were Emma and Sarah. They walked inside without acknowledging either of us and I rolled my eyes.

"I'm gonna go in and get a seat because Kaliyah is whimpering and I think she needs another burping." I said. Paul nodded and I walked inside to the table. All of the children were sitting at the table next to ours and I sat next to Elise. I looked around the table and saw Harrison only sitting a few seats up from Elise. I sighed and removed the wrap.

"When I put her on my shoulder can you just lightly put the wrap over her?" I asked Elise. She nodded and Harrison laughed.

"What's up Stephanie? Don't want everyone to see the little baby? I bet she is gonna be a slut just like her Mommy is." Harrison said.

"Shut up Harrison." I said.

"Or what, Paulie is gonna kick my ass? He won't care; he goes for the slut type that's why he got with you." Harrison said.

"Man, shut the fuck up! You don't mean to be saying shit about a little baby. You have no damn respect." Chris said.

"I am talking to my ex-wife." Harrison said angrily.

"I don't care who you are talking to, you treat all people with respect." Chris said.

"What's going on?"Paul asked, coming over to the table. Harrison went quiet and I turned to look up at Paul.

"Nothing honey, sit down," I said, rubbing Kaliyah's back. Paul sat down slowly and looked over at Chris.

"Who was it Chris?" He asked.

"Paul, just forget it please!" I said. Paul looked at me and I saw his fists clench.

Paul spent most of the night talking to everyone else and by nine o'clock. I was fed up with it. Kaliyah was very restless and I finally managed to find Paul talking to a group of guys and girls. I walked over to him and placed Kaliyah in his arms.

"We're leaving." I said. Paul frowned and bounced Kaliyah up and down, which made her scream louder.

"Paul, your daughter is only two days old, she wants calm and quiet. I'm feeling as though I am about to be sick so we are going home now!" I said.

"Baby, I am discussing something really important." Paul said.

"Paul, we're going home!" I said.

"All right, I'm really sorry guys but my family comes first now." Paul said. Everyone nodded and Paul took my hand as we left.

"I'm sorry for getting edgy back there." I said.

"That's okay baby, I told you my family comes first now." He replied. I smiled and nodded my head happily.

Hopefully it would stay that way.


	18. Chapter 18

**One Month Later...**

"Steph, baby is crying." Paul murmured, nudging me. I had been awake all night, getting up to Kaliyah all night and I was annoyed.

"Steph," He said a bit louder.

"I'm awake." I said.

"Go get her." Paul said, rolling over.

"Why don't you?" I whispered.

"Baby, I've got an important meeting in the morning with France. You know the problems we've been having over there." Paul said. I rolled my eyes and got out of bed. I walked into Kaliyah's bedroom and I saw her face was wet with tears.

"Okay Princess come on, everything is okay." I murmured, rubbing her back. I took her back into our bedroom and lay down, with her resting on my chest. I murmured soothing words to her as she started to calm down and watched Paul. His back was to us and he wasn't even making any attempt to turn around. I sighed and felt the tears well up in my eyes. Kaliyah's tiny little hand gripped onto my camisole singlet and I sighed. I loved this little girl with all my heart but I was struggling. I didn't want to struggle with her, she was my baby. I was supposed to be able to know how to raise her properly without any questions. Her sniffing slowly died out and I bit my lip.

"You can sleep with Mommy and Daddy tonight." I said, gently moving her to rest on the bed. I wrapped my arm around her protectively and tried to go back to sleep.

Kaliyah managed to stay asleep but I didn't sleep at all. Paul rolled out of bed at six in the morning and I heard him go into the kitchen. I lifted Kaliyah up and followed after him.

"Hey, I thought you were sleeping." He said. I shook my head and rested against the bench.

"Do you want to make me breakfast?" I asked. Paul nodded his head and smiled softly.

"What's up with you this morning, you look like hell." Paul said.

"I haven't slept for the past two nights running because you won't get up during the night Paul." I said.

"I have work honey," He said.

"I have work today as well! You don't even help when we are at work, you expect me to do everything. Paul, I need you to support me emotionally and physically as well. Not just monetarily. I need help with Kaliyah!" I said. I felt the tears welling up in my eyes and he stood there staring at me.

"Stephanie, I am running a multi-million dollar company that is currently experiencing some major problems. What do you expect me to do?" Paul said.

"I expect you to put this family first." I said, allowing the tears to run down my face. Paul sighed and I rolled my eyes.

"I'm going down to Elise's apartment and I'm going to be coming into the office at about lunchtime. I'm going to try and get some sleep in." I said. I grabbed Kaliyah's diaper bag and walked out of our apartment. I went down a floor and saw the light on in Elise's apartment. I opened the door and went in.

"Hey Elise," I sighed.

"Gee, you look like hell. Come on, while Kaliyah and Noah are asleep, we'll both get another nap in." Elise said. I nodded my head and she took Kaliyah from my arms. I went over to the sofa and lay down.

"I got in a whole day of sleep yesterday while my Mom minded Noah; I'll get up to them if they make noise." Elise said. I nodded and smiled.

"Thanks Elise." I replied, already half-asleep.

When I woke up next, it was eleven. Sure, five hours of sleep wasn't a lot but it made me feel so much better and more refreshed. It was absolutely silent in Elise's apartment which made me realise that she must have taken both Noah and Kaliyah to work. I smiled and stood up. I walked back up to mine and Paul's apartment and sighed. I wished Paul would be more understanding about parenthood and actually help out a bit more. I couldn't rely on Elise; she had just recently started dating Chris so she wasn't there all the time. I felt bad about walking out on him this morning too. I had a rushed shower, got changed and then I made my way to work.

When I got to the office, I went straight to see Paul and apologise for this morning. I got into our office and saw him sitting on the sofa playing with Kaliyah, who was resting on his lap. I stood in the doorway and smiled at him. He finally looked up and stared at me.

"Can I come sit with you?" I asked. Paul nodded and I walked over to him, sitting right next to him.

"I'm sorry about this morning Paul." I said.

"That's okay Stephanie you made a valid point. I have been neglecting my promise to you by not putting both you and Kaliyah before my work. I'm so sorry and you had every right to be mad at me." Paul said. He started playing with Kaliyah's feet and I smiled happily.

"You're a good Daddy," I said.

"And you are the most wonderful Mommy in the world." Paul replied. I blushed and rested my head against his shoulder.

"I don't want to fight or argue about this but please, just try to help out more okay Paul?" I said. Paul nodded his head and then I heard his computer start to beep.

"That's probably France. Come on Li-Li; let's go show you off on webcam." Paul said.

"I'll take her if you want." I said.

"No, that's okay. She's quite happy having some Daddy time." He said I nodded my head and walked over to my desk.

"I'll catch up on some work while you've got her." I smiled. He nodded his head and I fell silent as he started talking to James in France.

Hopefully he would stick to his new promise. I didn't want to struggle anymore. I needed him to help.


	19. Chapter 19

**Two Months Later...**

**Paul's P.O.V**

"Paul, you've got a conference call!" Christian said, running into my office. Stephanie had just gone out for her lunch break and left me alone with Kaliyah. I lifted Kaliyah up and she squealed with the disruption.

"Sorry baby girl, you've gotta come with Daddy because Mommy isn't here at the moment. No, you are not allowed to stay in the office by yourself because who knows what sites you will look up." I said. Christian laughed at me and I rolled my eyes.

"I have every reason to lecture her about this. Who knows what she will be doing in the future?" I said. Christian smiled and we walked into the conference room.

"Mr Levesque, thank goodness we managed to get a hold of you." The woman said. I knew who this was; it was Daniella Carter, one of the executive vice presidents over in France.

"How is everything going Daniella and why did you need to talk to me?" I asked.

"James has resigned suddenly and he isn't coming back. It is absolute mayhem over here Paul. He's been doing something shady and it's frustrating all of the employees over here because we don't know what to do." Daniella said.

"Can't you step up for him?" I said. Daniella shook her head and I grimaced, knowing the conclusion that they had come to.

"Paul, we need you to come to France and sort this whole mess out otherwise your company over here is going to collapse and you are going to lose millions." She said. I sighed and rubbed my face.

"How am I supposed to tell Steph and our three month old daughter that?" I asked.

"I don't know Paul but you need to get over here as soon as possible." She said. I sighed and looked down at my daughter.

"Okay, I'll try and figure something out." I said. I cut the call off and looked down at Kaliyah.

"What are we gonna do bub?" I asked her. She made a gurgling noise and I kissed the top of her forehead.

"Daddy is gonna regret this choice." I said. I lifted her up again and held her close to me.

"I'm too stressed; we both need to sleep Princess." I said. Kaliyah's thumb moved to her mouth and she started sucking on it. We went back to the office and I rested back in my chair and closed my eyes.

"Aw, isn't that cute?" I heard someone say not even ten minutes later.

"Let them sleep Elise," I heard Stephanie say. I heard footsteps and then Steph's lips pressed against mine.

"I heard that the company is struggling in France," Elise said.

"Yeah I know. Soon enough, they're gonna ask him to go over there, and I know he will. He loves this company too much to just watch it fail." Stephanie said.

"Would he be willing to sacrifice his relationship with you?" Elise asked. I wanted to know what Stephanie said as well but she never answered. I felt her hand running through my hair and I bit my lip. Would I really be willing to sacrifice my relationship with her? I wasn't sure. I wasn't ready to lose her or Kaliyah though, they were my life.

When I woke up, I realised Kaliyah wasn't in my arms and I sat around dazed. I saw Stephanie sitting at her desk with Kaliyah in her bouncer and she smiled softly at me.

"I know," She said.

"You know what?" I asked.

"I know that you are going to France again. When are you leaving?" Stephanie asked. I walked over to the desk and she stood up. I wrapped my arms around her waist and her arms went around my neck.

"They want me over there as soon as possible." I said. Stephanie's eyes closed and I took the moment to brush my mouth over hers.

"I don't want you to go." She whispered.

"I don't want to leave my girls behind either." I said. I opened my eyes to see Stephanie staring at me, trying not to cry.

"I'm not going to cry." She whispered.

"I don't want you to, but I suppose the sooner I leave, the faster I will get back. I'll leave tonight." I said. Stephanie nodded and I hugged her tightly.

"I love you Stephanie." I said.

"I love you too Paul," She replied. I looked over at our daughter whom was watching us and I smiled softly. She was so beautiful and looking at us so innocently. She didn't know her Daddy was leaving for a while.

I was going to miss having my girls with me but I didn't want to bring up the possibility of Stephanie and Kaliyah coming along with me. I knew Stephanie would jump at that offer and honestly, it wasn't good for Kaliyah. We had enough trouble with her settling down at home, let alone within a new country. I wanted them with me, but I wanted Kaliyah to be settled and happy first and foremost.

"I'll see you soon then," Stephanie sighed, rubbing my back. We were at the airport and I was getting ready to board the private jet. I sighed as I felt her fingers softly trace the skin above my pants.

"I love you so much Stephanie." I said. Steph nodded and I took Kaliyah from her arms.

"I love you as well Kaliyah." I said, kissing my daughter's hair. Stephanie's hand gripped my back and the pilot came in.

"Mr Levesque, it's time to go." He said. I nodded and looked at Stephanie.

"I love you; I'll be back as soon as I can." I said.

"I love you too," She replied. I kissed her deeply and then I kissed Kaliyah.

"See you soon," I said, helping her off the jet. She was taken back across the runway and I waved to her. She waved back and ten minutes later, I was in the air, leaving the two girls I loved the most in the world far behind me. I opened my phone and looked at the picture of Stephanie and Kaliyah together.

I would be back with them soon, I had to be.


	20. Chapter 20

**One Week Later...**

Paul had been gone a week and I was once again struggling with Kaliyah. I loved her with all my heart but since Paul had gone to France, she had become restless once again. Paul used to lay down with her of an evening and now that he wasn't here, she'd scream for him. I would give her one of his t-shirts and it would calm her down. I was so close to losing it and I didn't want to. Not with Kaliyah.

I walked into work that morning and saw Christian sitting in Paul's office.

"She only just got in. Yeah Li-Li is with her. Steph, come here, Paul wants to say hi." Christian said. I shook my head and he stared at me confused.

"Steph," He said. I turned to my desk and put down my bag and diaper bag.

"Just leave her Christian; I'll talk to her later. Just... tell both of them I love them." Paul said.

"All right man, they love you too, I know they do." Christian said.

"Christian, leave the computer on and leave the office. I think Stephanie just wants to talk to me privately." Paul said. He did know me well. Christian got up and he came over to me. He kissed the top of my head and then he kissed Kaliyah's head.

"You're coming out to lunch with Elise and me. Chris is also coming so I need someone to entertain me while they do... whatever." Christian said. I nodded and walked over to Paul's desk with Kaliyah.

"Hey Steph," Paul said. I saw the smile instantly cross his face and I couldn't help but to smile back. Kaliyah squealed when she heard her Daddy's voice and she started smiling as well.

"Hey Li-Li, look at how big you have gotten! I'm amazed." Paul said.

"Her hair has gotten so much thicker now. I think she'll have a combination of ours. It's getting lighter." I said, running my hand through it. Kaliyah looked up at me and smiled. I smiled back at her and then I looked back at Paul.

"How's Paris?" I asked.

"It's all right; I wish you girls were here with me though." Paul said.

"We could've been." I said.

"Yes but baby, it would've made Kaliyah unsettled plus we don't have a Doctor over here or anything. It's better for you to stay over there." Paul said. I rolled my eyes and nodded my head.

"Let's not argue again Steph, I cried myself to sleep last night." Paul said softly.

"I cried too. I actually didn't sleep last night. Our daughter was a bit sad that her Daddy isn't here anymore." I said. As soon as I said Daddy, Kaliyah started whimpering.

"Hang on a second Paul," I said. I walked over to my bag and pulled out Paul's t-shirt. I gave it to Kaliyah and she hugged it to her. I sat back down and I saw the tears in his eyes.

"Is that my t-shirt?" He asked.

"Yeah, it calms her down." I said.

"We need to talk about us Steph, we're being so distant." Paul said.

"I know," I sighed, looking down at Kaliyah.

"Why?" Paul said.

"I don't know Paul, I'm just so stressed out and I felt hurt that you chose the business over us. I know you would've lost millions but I'm basically a single parent until you decide you want to come home." I said.

"Baby, don't start with that stuff," Paul said.

"No Paul, you just don't want to face the truth. Your baby is not going to know you because you are too career-oriented. You'd think that you would have learnt to cherish every precious moment with your baby by now." I said. I saw Paul's face harden and he glared through the webcam.

"I do cherish every moment I spend with my daughter but you know what? Maybe you are the one I made a mistake about. Maybe that is the truth I'm not facing." Paul said.

"Fuck you Paul," I said, shaking my head. Paul took a deep breath and I saw his face turn red.

"I think... I should stop talking to you now. We both need to cool off. I'll leave you a couple of days and then I'll call you okay?" Paul said.

"Why, you feel the need to run away? You feel the need to hide the truth? If you don't want me around Paul, just say the word and I'll go. Of course, you'll get to see Kaliyah still, she is your daughter. But if you don't want me around anymore, I'll go." I said, feeling the warm tears running down my face.

"I think we both need to calm down and talk about this rationally later okay? I love you and I don't want to lose you." Paul said. I sighed and nodded my head, looking down at the keyboard.

"Steph, look up." Paul said softly. I looked up and saw him staring right into the camera.

"I mean that you know; I don't want to lose you at all." Paul said.

"All right, we'll talk in a couple of days. I love you too." I said. I saw the tears spill over his eyes as we sat there staring for a bit and then he looked down on my lap.

"I love you Li-Li, make sure you cheer your Mommy up. I'll be back to you and Mommy as soon as I can." Paul said. He looked up at me again and I shut the webcam session down.

"Elise, do I have to go out tonight? I just want to get Kaliyah into bed and to sleep. How about, you, Chris, Christian, Noah and Chris's kids come over and we can watch movies and stuff?" I asked.

"Oh, okay, that will do. I'll call Chris and let him know. Are you sure hon? You look extremely tired." Elise said.

"Yeah, that way if I do fall asleep, I'll be in my own place." I said. Elise nodded her head and smiled.

"Okay, we'll be back soon. Do you want me to take Kaliyah for a little drive?" She asked.

"That would be great; I could get in a shower." I said appreciatively. Elise nodded and placed Kaliyah in her capsule.

"See you soon!" I said, as they walked out. I smiled and nodded my head. My phone started vibrating and I took it out.

It was Paul.

"You told me that you weren't going to call me for a while." I said, heading toward the bathroom.

"Stephanie, I wanted to talk to you." Paul murmured.

"Uh huh, what's the time over there?" I asked.

"It's midnight over here baby," Paul whispered.

"What are you doing up so late?" I said, unzipping my skirt and sliding out of it.

"I can't sleep. I know I am a dickhead for what I have done." Paul said.

"What have you done?" I said, taking my top off as well and starting the shower.

"I hurt you Steph, please, can we talk about it?" Paul said.

"No, I don't want to talk to you at the moment." I said. There was absolute silence and I took a deep breath.

"Goodbye Paul," I said. I shut my cell, turned it off and then I got into the shower where I broke down.


	21. Chapter 21

**Three Weeks Later**

**Shane's P.O.V**

"Hey this is Shane," I said, answering my phone.

"Shane? It's Paul," Paul replied.

"Oh hey Paul, how is France?" I asked, leaning back in my chair.

"It's horrible actually. Look, I got into a fight with Stephanie about three weeks ago and she sent me a text message saying that she would call when she felt like it so she wanted me to stop messaging and calling her. I haven't heard from her since and I called Elise and she said that she hasn't been to work for the past three weeks either. I'm really worried about her and Kaliyah," Paul said.

"So Elise hasn't seen her at all?" I asked, sitting up straighter.

"No, she said she knocks on our apartment door and she doesn't answer. She said she hasn't heard a noise from our room in the past weeks." Paul said. I could hear the worry in his voice and I couldn't blame the man.

"I'll find her and let you know what's happening." I said.

"Thanks man, tell her I love her and I want to talk to her again." Paul said.

"Will do mate, I'll talk to you soon." I said. I closed my cell and stood up. I grabbed my jacket and my car keys and walked out of my office.

"Where are you going?" Harleigh asked.

"Harleigh, there is a family emergency. My sister hasn't been heard from for three weeks." I said. Harleigh nodded and I left the building. Being the son of the owner definitely had its perks. I knew where Stephanie would be, and I was going to kill my wife for not telling me she had temporarily left Paul's apartment.

"Hello?" Marissa said as she answered the phone

"Riss, she's in Connecticut isn't she?" I asked. My wife sighed and I could only imagine the look on her face, knowing she had been caught out.

"Steph needed a break." Marissa said.

"Everyone is worried sick about her!" I said.

"Yeah well I'm worried sick about her too! She is on the verge of a breakdown Shane." Marissa said.

"All right, I'm going to talk to her. I'll be home tomorrow probably Marissa. I love you," I said.

"I love you too Shane, take care," Marissa said. I shut my phone and settled in for the drive to Connecticut.

As I got to the house both Stephanie and I had purchased when she was eighteen, one that Harrison didn't know about, I saw Stephanie just coming out of the house with my niece, four month old Kaliyah. I pulled up out the front and she turned around. Even from this distance I could see that her eyes were all puffy and red. She had been crying. I got out of the car and walked over to her. Kaliyah was wearing a camisole singlet and a diaper and that was it.

"Steph, what are you doing bringing Kaliyah out in just that?" I said. Stephanie didn't answer me and I took Kaliyah from her arms.

"Do you have clothes for her?" I asked softly. Stephanie shook her head and I sighed.

"Let's go to the mall, get Kaliyah some clothes and then we can come back and talk." I said. Stephanie nodded and I wrapped my arm around her as I walked back to my car.

"What happened to you Stephanie?" I sighed, looking over at my little sister. Stephanie shrugged and started crying again. I drove down the street and our ride was silent to the mall.

"Okay, is that enough?" I asked. Stephanie shrugged and I wrapped my arm around her shoulders tightly.

"Stephanie, please don't go on shutting me out. I'm your big brother; I'm here to help you." I said. Stephanie nodded and sighed sadly.

"Yeah, that's enough Shane, thank you." She said. I nodded and we went to the checkout where I placed the clothes for Kaliyah on the counter.

"I also need to get her formula and diapers." Stephanie said. I nodded and we went into the next shop. I grabbed the formula and diapers and after we bought them, we went back to the house.

"Stephanie, come in here a second!" I said, calling her into the kitchen. I heard her soft footsteps enter the room and I turned around to face her. She was holding Kaliyah in her arms and Kaliyah looked much happier. Stephanie's hair was framing her face and I smiled. My little sister was so beautiful. The puffiness had gone down quite a bit and she came and sat next to me on the counter. I lifted Kaliyah into my arms and looked at Stephanie.

"Can you explain to me what happened with... with everything Steph?" I asked. Stephanie's eyes welled up with tears and she reached over to grab a hold of Kaliyah's hand.

"I just... I was just struggling with everything. I could feel the depression building over me again and I was scared. I got into an argument with Paul and I'm so scared he hates me right now. I don't want to call him in case he yells at me." Stephanie said.

"Did you go to the Doctor?" I asked. Stephanie nodded and looked at me.

"I did and he said that I needed to have some time away and he gave me mild anti-depressants. I'm feeling so much better but every time I feel like picking up the phone and calling Paul or going back home, I get scared. I think he hates me Shane-O!" Stephanie said. She rested her head on my shoulder and I kissed her hair.

"Steph, I think you should call him." I said. Stephanie nodded and I gave her my phone. She took it and dialled Paul's number.

"Hey Paul... it's uh... it's me." Stephanie said. She looked at me and smiled softly.

"Are you all right to watch Kaliyah while I talk?" She asked. I nodded my head and she left the room.

"Yeah, Shane found me." I heard her say as I walked past the bedroom. I stopped and listened. Stephanie had been on the phone for a good hour and I was glad that she and Paul were finally acting civil.

"Well Kaliyah is going great, she still misses you though. And her hair has gone completely blonde which I bet you're gonna be very happy about." She said. I smiled and walked down to the other bedroom, which Stephanie had set up as a nursery. I placed Kaliyah in the portable cot and looked at her. She reminded me so much of Stephanie but I could definitely see Paul in her. Not just with the blonde hair. Even when I was playing with her before, different smiles and expressions were just Paul through and through. I pulled the door to and saw Stephanie poke her head out.

"Did Li-Li just go down for a nap?" She asked. I nodded and she held the phone out.

"Paul wants to talk to you. I'm going to sleep." She said. I nodded and she reached up to kiss my cheek.

"Thank you so much for finding her." Paul said.

"It was no problem man. I'll be taking her back to New York tomorrow and I'm going to make her promise to call either one of us if she gets too stressed out again." I said.

"Okay thanks. Look, I'm gonna get off now but I'm so appreciative of your help. Talk soon man," Paul said. I nodded and shut my cell phone.

I would do anything for my little sister, I loved her to death.


	22. Chapter 22

**One and A Half Months Later**

**Christian's P.O.V**

My phone started ringing just as I let Sophie out the door. I looked at the number and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Man, you know not to call me on Sophie-days!" I said, lying back in the sofa.

"I didn't realise your Sophie-days were still going on!" Paul replied back smugly. I rolled my eyes and rubbed my chest absently.

"What's up Paul?" I asked.

"I miss my girls," Paul sighed.

"Ah, fair enough. Quite frankly, I am sick of your girls. You better be home soon man, your little Princess is ready to say her first word any day and if you're unlucky, it's gonna be the sexiest man in the world that she will call Daddy." I said.

"Then why would I be unlucky? I am her Daddy." Paul replied. I laughed and heard him chuckle as well.

"Well actually, I was thinking about something." Paul said.

"Ah, were you just? You mean that thing inside your head actually does work on occasion?" I said.

"Haha, you are hilarious." Paul said.

"All right, now let's listen to this idea that has made that brain of yours work." I said. Paul groaned and I smiled.

"I want Steph and Kaliyah to come to Paris. I want Stephanie to know how much I love her and I want to propose to her over here." Paul said. I smiled and looked around.

"You know what? I think I can organise that." I said.

"I knew you would be able to." Paul replied.

After organising everything with Paul for Stephanie's trip, I rested back on the sofa and I sighed.

"How are Stephanie and Kaliyah going by the way?" I asked.

"They're all right; Stephanie told me earlier that she should be back at work tomorrow. Steph just needed some time to rest. She's been very stressed out for a while now and I forced her to take the time off. I told her she needed to take more off on maternity leave but she didn't listen to me." Paul said.

"I know but everyone saw the change in her once you left. She just... lost it." I said.

"There was a reason for that Chris, but I'm not explaining it. Look, why don't you get out of the office for a bit and go and visit her with Elise? I'm sure she'll appreciate it she thinks everyone is gonna hate her." Paul said.

"Sure thing Paul, we'll go see her. Do you want me to tell her?" I asked.

"Yeah, but take a picture of her reaction. I want to see how happy she is. Send me a picture of her and Kaliyah too. I've missed them so much." Paul said.

"Okay, I'll email them to you tonight. I'll let you go man," I said.

"All right," Paul said. I shut my cell and sighed. I got up and left the house. I was going to see Stephanie.

As I knocked on the door, I heard Stephanie call out and the squeal of laughter from Kaliyah. I smiled and the door opened.

"Hey Christian, come in." Stephanie said. She walked back over to the lounge where Kaliyah was resting between two pillows.

"How are you guys?" I asked.

"We're really good thanks," Stephanie smiled.

"I was just talking to Paul about an hour ago." I said. Stephanie blushed when I mentioned his name and I smiled.

"What do you talk to him about?" She asked.

"We talked about you of course Stephanie, he loves talking about you and Kaliyah." I said. Stephanie blushed again and I smiled.

"I personally don't understand what you see in him. I am so much sexier than Paul." I said. Stephanie chuckled and shook her head.

"How are you and Sophie going?" Stephanie asked.

"We are all right; we got into an argument earlier today." I said. Stephanie frowned and Kaliyah squealed. I lifted her into my arms and she smiled up at me.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Stephanie asked. I nodded and looked over at her.

"Sophie... wants us to get married and start having children." I said.

"What's wrong with that?" Stephanie asked.

"Nothing it's just... I don't know if I am ready." I said.

"You're great with children Christian, look at how much Kaliyah loves you. However, if you don't feel ready for that, Sophie shouldn't be pressuring you." Stephanie said. I sighed and nodded my head.

"She's pregnant." I finally said.

"Is that why you are scared?" Stephanie asked. I nodded and looked over at her.

"This is kind of what happened to me and Paul and you know what? You have every right to be scared but in the end, you are going to get a beautiful little baby out of it." Stephanie said. I nodded and smiled across at her.

"I guess you're right." I said.

"I'm always right." Stephanie replied.

"I guess I'm going to get going then." I said, stretching and standing up an hour later.

"Okay Christian and remember, you're gonna be a great Daddy." Stephanie said. I smiled and nodded my head.

"Thanks for helping me out Stephanie." I said. I left the apartment and I drove towards mine. I had told Stephanie about her trip to France and her reaction was absolutely priceless. I had taken a photo and forwarded it straight to Paul, as well as a photo of Steph and Kaliyah. Talking to Stephanie made me see sense though. I was excited to become a father now and I was considering proposing to Sophie, to make us a complete family.


	23. Chapter 23

**Two Weeks Later**

"So, is everything ready? Remember, England is colder than we are over here so make sure Kaliyah is all rugged up." Elise said. I nodded and looked down at Kaliyah, whom was squirming in my arms.

"Bub-bub-bub," She said. I stared at her shocked and smiled.

"Li-Li, you just said your first word!" I said. Kaliyah squealed in delight and waved her arms. I laughed and turned to face Christian and Elise (Noah was back with Chris at Elise's apartment).

"I wish Paul was here so I didn't have to do the flight by myself." I sighed.

"We thought you might say that." Elise smirked. I frowned and then I felt warm arms wrap around my waist and Kaliyah screamed with laughter, scrunching her fists repeatedly.

"Hey baby," Paul murmured, kissing my ear. I smiled and he stood up to take Kaliyah from my arms. Kaliyah snuggled into him and I grinned.

"You're lucky she hasn't forgotten you. She hasn't been letting anyone touch her recently except me and Shane-O." I said to him.

"But I am your Daddy aren't I Kaliyah?" Paul said. Kaliyah looked up at him when he said her name and giggled. I smiled and Paul took his scarf off and wrapped it around my neck. I smiled and inhaled his sweet scent.

"Let's get on the jet." He murmured. I nodded and turned to hug Christian and Elise goodbye. Then I took Paul's hand and we walked onto the runway and got in the private jet.

"Kaliyah, stop crying sweetheart," I murmured, rubbing her back. I was trying to get her off to sleep and she was restless. It might have had something to do with her being in the air, I didn't know. Finally, I walked into the room where Paul was sitting and I smiled softly.

"I just want to lay her down with us and see if that calms her." I whispered as Kaliyah let out a high-pitched scream. Paul nodded and dimmed the light in the room. I walked over to the bed and lay down with Kaliyah as Paul took his shirt off and as I shifted Kaliyah onto the bed, he placed his hand on top of her. She squealed in protest and tried to move but Paul softly started rubbing her belly. She stopped crying and I pressed my lips against her forehead.

"Li-Li just wanted her Mommy and her Daddy." I whispered, running my hand down until it covered Paul's.

"I love you," I heard him whisper.

"I love you too." I said, sliding my fingers in between his. I felt Kaliyah's hands move over the top of ours and I closed my eyes. I was tired as well and even though I wanted to spend time with Paul I was more tired than anything else. It was almost as though Paul could read my mind because I heard him sigh and softly squeeze my hand

"You get some sleep too babe; I know you are excited to see me and I'm excited to see you too." Paul said. I softly stood up and made sure I didn't disturb Kaliyah.

"I just want to spend a little bit of time with you Paul, come out here?" I asked. Paul nodded and followed me out of the bedroom and into the main part of the jet where all the seats were.

"Did you miss me?" I asked him, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"Only every single minute of the day baby," Paul replied. I smiled happily and briefly closed my eyes when he wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer to him. I opened my eyes to see him staring at me.

"Damn, I nearly forgot how beautiful you are." He whispered. I blushed and he chuckled softly.

"I've missed you blushing every time I give you a compliment as well." Paul said. I laughed and pressed my lips against his, excited to feel the tingles shoot up my spine. My mouth parted and his tongue dove in, eagerly fighting mine for dominance. I moaned appreciatively and he backed me over to one of the sofas.

"You want to be a part of the mile high club?" He asked.

"Are you serious?" I asked. Paul nodded his head and I slid my hands down to the belt buckle on his pants. I slowly unbuckled it and unzipped his pants, our lips never parting. As he leaned over me on the soda, he pulled back to look at me carefully.

"I love you Stephanie," He murmured.

"I love you too," I replied.

Paul woke me up the next morning by softly shaking me.

"Steph sweetie, we're about to touch down. It's eleven thirty over here." Paul said. I looked at my watch, which I hadn't set for Paris yet and saw that it was five-thirty in the morning for us. I groaned and looked down to see Kaliyah was looking up at Paul expectantly watching his facial expressions.

"Kaliyah, how are you Princess?" I asked. Kaliyah looked over at me and smiled when she saw me.

"Yeah, you almost forgot about Mommy didn't you?" I said. Kaliyah started babbling in baby talk and I laughed at her.

"We'll get settled at the apartment for an hour or two and then we can go on a family outing." Paul said. I smiled and nodded my head. I got out of the bed with Kaliyah and we walked out to get buckled in as we made the descent. Paris was exactly as Paul had described, it was absolutely beautiful but it was even better to share that with Paul as I walked off the plane.

"You ready to live in Paris for weeks, maybe months?" Paul asked.

"As long as I am with you and Kaliyah, I don't care where I live." I replied, smiling at him softly.


	24. Chapter 24

**Linda's P.O.V**

**One Week Later**

"Where are Stephanie and Kaliyah? I haven't heard from them in about a week and I'm worried." I said, talking to Shane as he was nursing Aidan on his lap.

"Steph went to France with Kaliyah to spend some time with Paul. I thought I told you." Shane said, frowning, trying to bring the memory back up.

"No Shane, you didn't tell me. When did they go to France and how long are they going for?" I asked.

"Um, Steph left last week and she doesn't know what time they will be back but I asked Paul for a rough estimate and he told me the first week in September is what he thinks it will be." Shane said. I looked at my son shocked and rubbed my face.

"Shane-O, why didn't you even tell us she was leaving?" I asked.

"Mom, I only found out two hours before she left and I thought I had told you. I'm sorry," Shane said.

"That's all right, do you think that you could call Paul and ask him to let me talk to Stephanie?" I said. Shane nodded and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.

"Hey man, it's Shane. Is Stephanie there? Cool, tell her Mom wants to talk to her. Why would our mother want to talk to you? Okay, put her on." Shane said. He handed the phone to me and I waited silently.

"Mom?" Stephanie's voice came through. There was something different about her voice. She actually sounded happy.

"Hey baby girl, why didn't you tell me you were going to France?" I asked.

"Well, I was going to but... I thought that you would be mad and Dad wouldn't even let me go. Kaliyah was missing her Daddy, so I had to take her." Stephanie said. I could hear my baby granddaughter in the background and I smiled softly.

"How is Kaliyah coping?" I asked.

"Kaliyah is doing better than me I must say. I mean, the hours are only a bit different but I have had trouble adjusting more to the hours. Then again, you know how Kaliyah is." Stephanie said.

"She is exactly like her Mommy," I said.

"Hey, Daddy told me that I was a good baby so I know that you aren't telling the truth. Li-Li, Gamma is being mean to me." Stephanie said. Kaliyah squealed and I laughed.

"How are you and Paul going?" I asked.

"Mom, do we really have to discuss this?" Stephanie said.

"Stephanie Marie McMahon, the last time I talked to you, you were saying that you didn't think you could handle being with him any more and you wanted to leave. Have you both sorted things out and has he made you and my granddaughter his first priority?" I asked.

"Yes Mom, everything has fine and we have talked about it since my little uh... outburst over in the States. Paul understands that we have to be his first priority, he is still adjusting to being a Dad as well." Stephanie said. I could hear it in her voice that she wanted the subject dropped so I decided to put an end to the conversation.

"Well I'm glad that he is doing that Stephanie. So tell me, what have you done while you have been in Paris?" I asked.

"Well, the day we arrived we went on a picnic with Paul. The next day, we went to the Paris Offices and he showed me around. The place is amazing. And for the last couple of days, I've just been sitting in our apartment with Kaliyah during the day and in the afternoon, we have gone to see a few different sights and such. Paul is taking me out tonight though, he has one of his friends minding Kaliyah and we're going out for a romantic dinner." Stephanie said.

"That sounds good baby girl, I hope you have fun." I smiled.

"Yeah, well it will be the first time we really have gotten alone time together since Kaliyah was born so I am really looking forward to it." Stephanie replied.

After another hour and a half of talking, I realised that Stephanie might want to get off the phone and get ready as it would have been seven at night over there.

"Well Steph, I think I should let you go and have some fun with your man but not too much fun, we're not ready for another grandchild just yet." I said. Stephanie laughed and I could imagine her blushing.

"Trust me Mom, we're not ready for that either. Except for the fun part..." Stephanie said.

"Stephanie Marie! I am your mother!" I said, feigning shock.

"Oh, Mom, it's not as though you haven't heard me gushing about Paul. But you are right, I have to go so I can get ready for tonight. I promise to call you in a couple of days though." Stephanie said.

"Are you going to be back for your father's birthday?" I asked her. There was absolute silence and I knew that she wasn't going to be.

"Uh, I'm not too sure Mom, I probably won't be though. But don't tell Dad that, I don't want to disappoint him." Stephanie said.

"Of course I won't tell him Stephanie, that is something that you will need to do." I said.

"Yeah I know, I shall talk to you soon all right?" Stephanie said.

"Okay, I love you baby girl." I said.

"I love you too Mom, so do Kaliyah and Paul. See you," Stephanie said. The line went dead and I sighed. I knew my husband all too well and I knew that he wasn't going to appreciate Stephanie and Kaliyah not there for his birthday but Stephanie had brought up a good point. Kaliyah needed to be with her Daddy because she needed to bond with him and if she didn't bond with him, then there would be a problem.

That didn't mean that all of us here were going to miss them terribly though.


	25. Chapter 25

**This chapter is dedicated to dldb, who has stuck with it from the very beginning. Thanks for helping me out and for all of your kind reviews :)**

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**Paul's P.O.V**

As I waited for Stephanie to get ready, I was lying on the ground with Kaliyah. Kaliyah was lying on her belly and was holding her head up, looking at me. I rolled her over and started tickling her making her scream. Stephanie poked her head out of the bathroom and I looked up at her innocently.

"What are you doing to our daughter?" Stephanie asked.

"Nothing babe," I replied innocently.

"Uh huh, I find that hard to believe." She replied.

"Come here for a second Steph," I said, standing up and lifting Kaliyah up. Stephanie walked over to me and I ran my hand down her side.

"Come closer," I said.

"No!" She replied, moving away from me. I laughed and her eyes twinkled brightly.

"I love you," I said, tilting my head to the side.

"I love you too, now please let me get ready." She said earnestly. I nodded my head and sat on the sofa with Kaliyah wrapped up in my arms. I could feel the box hiding the engagement ring pressing against my thigh and I sighed nervously. Stephanie knew that this was coming, but she didn't know it was tonight. I didn't think I would be this nervous.

Once we left the apartment, I felt guilty for leaving Kaliyah there with someone that was a complete stranger to her. I felt Stephanie squeeze my hand and I looked over at her to see her smiling at me reassuringly.

"Why are you so nervous tonight huh?" She asked. I shrugged and her hand bumped into my pocket. I panicked but she didn't even notice. We arrived at the restaurant and I placed my hand on the small of Stephanie's back as we walked inside.

"Mr Levesque, your table is right over here." A waiter said, directing Stephanie and I to our table.

All throughout dinner, I was incredibly nervous. I tried to avoid eye contact with her and I knew that she was going to be annoyed at that. Finally, I heard her sigh and I looked up as she softly put her knife and fork down.

"What's up Paul? You've been acting so strange tonight." Stephanie said. I smiled and took a bite of my food.

"Sorry baby, maybe it's just the fact that I am able to go out with the most beautiful girl in the entire world and I also know that she is the Mommy of my baby." I said. Stephanie blushed and I smiled. We ate the rest of our dinner in silence and then we left the restaurant to go for a walk around the city.

"So... how is everything holding up in the company Paul?" Stephanie asked.

"It's going all right, I know where going to be here a while longer though." I said.

"When I spoke to Mom today she said that Dad was going to be very annoyed if Kaliyah and I didn't make it back in time for his birthday." Stephanie said.

"Well we can try to make that deadline otherwise you will have to tell your Daddy that I am terribly sorry and we can make sure that we get him an extra nice present to make it up to him." I said. Stephanie nodded and snuggled up under my arm.

"Did you ever think you would find true love by sleeping with your personal assistant?" Stephanie asked. I laughed and playfully nudged her with my hip.

"I didn't always dream about it being with my personal assistant but I did dream I would find true love with someone like you. You are beautiful, sexy, friendly, loving and wonderful Steph." I said. Stephanie blushed and I chuckled.

"I just love making you blush," I said to her. We got to the park just below the Eiffel Tower and I smiled.

"This is perfect," I murmured.

"What's perfect?" Stephanie asked.

"This place, this night, being here with you, that's what's perfect." I said. Stephanie nodded and I turned around to face her seriously. She looked confused and I smiled as I got down onto one knee.

"Stephanie Marie McMahon, you know that I love you," I said. Stephanie was staring at me shocked but she managed to nod her head.

"You know that I love our daughter," I said. Steph nodded her head again and I gently took her hand in both of mine.

"I love you two so much that I don't want to ever be out of my life. Stephanie Marie McMahon, will you do me the greatest honour by becoming my wife?" I finally managed to get out. I watched her carefully and her face broke out into an excited smile

"Are you serious?" She said, tears running down her face. I nodded my head and stood up again, producing the box and she jumped into my arms.

"Gee, I just asked you to marry me, not to maul me like an animal." I said, wrapping my arms around her tightly.

"Oh shut up. Let me look at the ring." Stephanie said. I nodded my head and opened the box. She gasped at the sight of the ring and our mouths connected in a deep kiss as she slipped the ring on her finger.

"You know you never did answer the question I asked earlier." I said to her about an hour later, as we made our way home.

"You know the answer." Stephanie said. I smiled and nodded my head, playing with her engagement ring softly that was on her finger.

"It still would have been nice to hear you say yes." I said, pouting in her direction. She turned to look at me and smiled, placing both her hands on my cheeks.

"Paul Michael Levesque, it would be my honour to accept your engagement offer. I will marry you and I can't wait to become your wife." Stephanie said, a soft smile gracing her lips. I smiled and pulled her forward for a soft, sweet kiss.

"I love you Stephanie," I said.

"I love you too Paul," She replied. We arrived back at our apartment complex and I was so excited to see Kaliyah again. I knew that she would be asleep but that didn't bother me. We made our way into our apartment and I helped Stephanie take her coat off. The worker at Levesque Inc was sleeping on the couch and I chuckled.

"Let him sleep and give him a good tip in the morning, our daughter was probably a handful." Stephanie said. I nodded my head and laid out some money on the table for him. Then Stephanie grabbed my hand in both of hers and dragged me to the bedroom.

"How is Kaliyah?" I asked.

"She's sleeping soundly, come on, I've got a present for you as well." She said. I smiled at her and her smirk back was a seductive one. I pulled her into my arms and started a trail of soft kisses down the column of her throat.

* * *

**Author's Note: **

**Hey and thank you to all of you that are reading my story. I appreciate the people that take the time out to comment because I can't make my stories better if I don't know what the readers want to read. I know that I've only update one chapter but I'm aiming for Friday to finish putting this entire story up on this site. Then I might take a break before I start a sequel. This story has provided me with some great bludging periods in school :) I always look forward to reading the reviews, even if it might only be one or two. :) Once again, thank you. :) **


	26. Chapter 26

**Seven Weeks Later**

"Shh... we've got to be quiet so Daddy doesn't wake up. It's his birthday you know." I said to Kaliyah as we walked over to the laptop.

"Da-Da, Da-Da," Kaliyah said. I smiled and kissed her head. Today was Paul's thirty-first birthday and he had thought I'd forgotten about it.

"We're gonna talk to Gamma and Poppy." I said to Kaliyah. Kaliyah mumbled and I pressed my lips into her soft hair. I started the video call with my Dad's account and waited. When I saw Mom and Dad sitting there, my eyes automatically filled up with tears. I had missed them so much.

"Stephanie!" Dad said.

"Hey Daddy," I said, leaning a little bit closer to the camera. I looked down at Kaliyah, whom was drinking her bottle and saw that she was staring transfixed at the screen.

"That's Gamma and Poppy," I said.

"Hello Kaliyah," Mom said. Kaliyah looked up at me and I smiled.

"Are you gonna be home for my birthday?" Dad asked.

"I dunno Daddy, I hope we are." I said. I heard movement in the bedroom and I turned my head momentarily.

"Da-Da," Kaliyah screamed.

"Shh, he is up, he'll come out in a second." I whispered. I looked at my parents and I smiled softly.

"I miss you guys." I said.

"We miss all three of you as well." Mom said. I felt a tear run down my cheek and I sniffed.

"Baby, why don't you just come back to the States with Kaliyah?" Mom said.

"I don't want to leave Paul all by himself." I said.

"Baby girl, you're homesick and if you don't come home soon, you are going to be miserable." Dad said.

"I know Daddy, I know okay!" I said. More tears escaped my eyes and I sniffed. I tried to calm myself down and then I felt a warm hand on my shoulder.

"Hop up for a second." Paul murmured. I stood up and he sat down. I knew what he was doing so I put Kaliyah in his arms and I walked into the bathroom so I could calm down.

After I calmed down, I opened the bathroom door and saw Paul talking happily to my parents. I walked over to him and he smiled up at me. I smiled back softly and he wrapped his arm around me.

"Are you feeling better?" He asked. I nodded and looked at Mom and Dad.

"Paul, when are you bringing our girls home?" Dad asked.

"I am bringing them home as soon as I possibly can Vince. Trust me; this place isn't as great as Stephanie has made out. The food is disgusting, the place smells and the only pretty sight Steph gets to look at is me." Paul said. Both Mom and Dad laughed and I laughed as well.

"I promise you guys, I'm gonna get them home real soon. Maybe even in time for a certain birthday." Paul said. I looked back at Paul and he smiled up at me.

"Oh crap, that just slipped my mind. I knew what day it was. Happy birthday honey," I said. I leant over and pressed my lips against his and then I pulled away.

"All right, we're going to get off. Stephanie, I'll talk to you later." Mom said. I nodded and lifted Kaliyah into my arms. The screen cut off and I stood up. Paul stood up as well and placed his hand on my waist.

"Come on, I got you a present." I said. Paul's face lit up like a little kids and he tried to rush past me but I blocked the way to the bedroom. He frowned as he took Kaliyah from my arms and I smiled.

"Let me see it!" He said, trying to peek over my shoulder. I laughed and he bent down to kiss me softly.

"Now I'm going to make you wait." I said. Paul pouted and kissed me softly again.

"Please baby," Paul said. I sighed and pressed my lips against his ear.

"All right, come on." I said. Paul followed me into the room and I smiled softly.

"Now, I don't want you to get mad but I only got you a couple of things." I said.

"Why would I be mad?" Paul asked. I shrugged and we sat on the bed. I got his present out from under the bed and I saw him grin happily.

"Here, give me Kaliyah." I said. Paul shook his head and smiled.

As he opened the present bag up, he was shocked. He pulled out the jewellery box and opened it and when he looked up, he smiled.

"Damn baby, I love this." He said. I nodded my head and looked at Kaliyah.

"That one is from Kaliyah." I said. Paul pulled our daughter closer to him and next he pulled out the photo frame that had our family portraits in them. Paul hadn't seen them yet and he looked up at me.

"It's beautiful." He said "Well, if we were back at home I would have been able to get you a better present but you know it's kind of hard." I said. Paul nodded his head and smiled softly. He pulled out his new dress shirts and pants and then he looked at me.

"We're going out for dinner tonight as well." I said. Paul nodded and pressed his lips against mine.

"You know what the best present has been for me?" Paul asked. He moved his presents so I could get closer to him and I shook my head.

"The fact that you and Kaliyah are here with me, that's the best present of all. I know how hard it was for you by yourself but it was hard for me as well." Paul said. I nodded and he pulled me into his arms.

"Are you going to work?" I asked Paul while he was getting changed.

"Yeah, I just need to do something quickly and then I'm coming home. Do you want to come with me?" Paul said. I nodded my head and I stood up.

"Get Kaliyah dressed while I get in a shower honey," I said. He nodded and I walked over to hug him.

"What's up baby?" He asked, rubbing my back.

"I just wanted a hug." I replied softly.

"I know that you are missing your family and trust me, we'll be back for your Dad's birthday." Paul sighed, pressing his lips against mine. I nodded and felt some tears running down my face. Paul pulled back and wiped my eyes.

"I promise you baby, we'll be home in time for your Dad's birthday. Go get ready," He whispered. I nodded my head and walked into the bedroom.

"Steph," Paul called out. I turned to face him and he smiled softly.

"I love you babe," He said. I smiled and nodded my head. As I shut the bathroom door, I silently cursed myself. I had promised that I wasn't going to show how homesick I was and I had to get all emotional about it on Paul's birthday.

Dinner that night was amazing but the most special part was going for a walk with Paul and Kaliyah afterwards. Paul had forgotten to bring the stroller along so he was carrying her.

"You know, I think we have bonded so much over here as a family." I said, stopping to look up at the Eiffel Tower in the distance. It looked beautiful. Paul's fingers slipped between mine and I grinned over at him.

"I just need to make sure that I continue this bonding when we go home." Paul said. I looked up at him and nodded.

"I want to promise you Stephanie that I am going to be around more. I told Daniella Carter my decision this morning and she said she understood but she didn't want this business to close so she is going to buy it off me. When we get back home Stephanie, I'm going to have more time to focus on you and Kaliyah and I want us to move into a house, not our apartment anymore. I want us to have a house with lots of rooms so we can have lots of kids and become one big happy family." Paul said. I nodded and reached up to kiss him softly.

"I like that idea," I replied.

"Let's get back to the hotel, Kaliyah must be cold." He said. I nodded my head and we slowly made our way back to the hotel.


	27. Chapter 27

**Paul's P.O.V**

**Four Weeks Later**

"My Dad is going to be so surprised that we are here for his birthday." Stephanie said.

"Well, it was only a week earlier than planned so it was no problem." I replied.

"And everything is done right? You won't ever need to go back to France right?" Stephanie asked, softly placing Kaliyah into the capsule.

"I will never go back to France unless you want to go on a holiday." I said. Stephanie shook her head and her loose curls bounced softly. We were going straight from the airport to her Dad's party so we were all dressed for the occasion.

"I never want to go back to France, Paul." Stephanie said. I chuckled and bent down to kiss her hair.

"I don't want to go back either. Too many rude people in France," I said. Stephanie nodded her head in agreement and we walked out to where I had a limousine waiting for us.

"A limo?" She asked incredulously. I nodded my head and opened the door for her.

"Only the best for my girls." I replied, as she got in.

"Dad is going to be so happy," Stephanie said on the drive over. I nodded my head and spotted my daughter open her eyes ever so slightly. She was nearing nine months old now and she was very smart. We knew she could crawl around crazily and she was starting to walk around furniture. Stephanie told me that she had started walking at eleven months old but I was sure that our daughter would beat her.

"Is Li-Li awake?" Steph whispered. I nodded my head and Kaliyah's eyes opened the smallest bit again.

"Yes, we are talking about you Kaliyah Alexis," I said. Kaliyah turned her head to look at me and she opened her eyes a bit wider.

"We'll need to brush her hair again before we get out, it's a mess of curls." Stephanie said. I nodded and leant over to press my lips against Kaliyah's forehead. Her hand tried to swat me away and she looked over at Steph.

"He does it to me as well Kaliyah, it does get annoying." Stephanie said. Our daughter smiled at the sound of her mother's voice and I moved away.

"Da-Da!" Kaliyah said, stretching her arms out to me. She wanted to get out. The driver stopped at our house and we got out.

"Thank you so much," Stephanie said as I got Kaliyah out. He helped us with our luggage and I took it inside where I just left it in the lobby behind the desk. I looked at the time and saw that it was eleven o'clock here. We were running late. I rushed out to the car park, where Stephanie was putting the capsule in the car, ready for Kaliyah to get into.

"Let's go baby," I said, walking over to her. Stephanie nodded and got in the driver's seat as I put Kaliyah in. I got in the passenger's seat and we drove off.

When we got to her parent's house, Shane and Marissa were only just arriving with Declan, Kenyon and Aidan. They saw our car pull up and all of them were shocked. Steph was bouncing up and down excitedly and I laughed.

"Just open the door and say hi to them." I said. Stephanie got out of the car and ran up to her brother. I smiled and then I got Kaliyah out as well as Vince's present, which Stephanie chose out. I saw Linda and Vince standing on the veranda and I walked up to them.

"Can I just put this inside?" I asked. Both of them nodded and Vince held his arms out.

"Go to Poppa, Kaliyah honey," I said. Kaliyah held her arms out and fell into Vince's arms. I smiled and walked inside.

When everyone gathered inside, I saw that Stephanie was holding her Dad's hand tightly. We had decided that she wasn't going to wear her engagement ring as we were going to announce our engagement to our families at the same time. Vince must have known that it was coming though because I had called and asked for permission to marry her and he had agreed.

"Da-Da, Daddy!" Kaliyah squealed. Stephanie passed her to me and I rubbed Kaliyah's back.

"What's up Princess?" I asked. She squirmed out of my arms and her tiny hands rested over mine as she stood in front of me. She looked up at me with her eyes filled with tears and she started chewing on her lip. Kaliyah was so much like her Mom.

"Honey, Daddy's got to know what's wrong to help you out." I said. I lifted her up again and I walked out into the kitchen, where everyone had gone to get some food and drinks. Stephanie looked up at me and frowned softly.

"What's up with Kaliyah?" She asked. I shrugged and put her on the ground.

"Show Gamma and Poppa what you can do now." I said, holding her hands. Kaliyah took a few steps and she forced herself to fall to the ground.

"Ma-Ma, Ma-Ma!" She cried. Stephanie got up and picked her up.

"She's suffering jet lag baby," Stephanie said, pressing her lips against Kaliyah's forehead. I nodded and rubbed our daughter's back.

After Stephanie managed to get Kaliyah to sleep for a couple of hours, when Kaliyah woke up again, she was much happier. We had all gone out to the backyard as Shane's three boys were running amuck and had all decided they wanted to go swimming.

"Kaliyah baby girl, do you want to come swimming?" I said to her. She came crawling over to me as I got down into the pool and I took her dress off so she was just in her diaper. As I got her in the pool, she trembled with the cold and I smiled.

"It is okay baby girl, it's nice." I said, holding her close to me. I saw Stephanie getting in at the other end with Marissa and I stopped to watch.

"We're lucky guys aren't we?" Shane said, coming up from behind me.

"We sure are." I said.

"So, when are you and Steph gonna tie the knot?" Shane asked.

"Well, we're going to be worrying about that at a later time, at the moment, we're focusing on finding a house. I like our apartment, but it just won't do in the future." I said.

"So you guys are planning on having more kids?" Shane said.

"Yeah, we are going to be having more children in the future but that isn't something we are thinking about doing any time soon." I said.

"Oh okay, that's good then. I've never seen my sister as happy as she has been with you before. It's a great thing for me to see, all I have ever wanted to see was my little sister happy. I have you to thank for that." Shane said. I nodded and our talk ended when Stephanie came swimming up to me and Kaliyah. Kaliyah moved into Stephanie's arms and I smiled. Stephanie leant over and kissed me and I smiled softly.

"I love you Paul," Stephanie murmured.

"I love you too," I replied.

Getting back to our apartment that night made me sigh in relief. I loved spending time with Kaliyah, Stephanie and Steph's family but coming straight from the airport to the party had taken its toll and I was dead on my feet. Stephanie tucked Kaliyah into her bed while I went into our own. Stephanie came in and she smiled at me. I smiled back drowsily and noticed she had put her engagement ring on.

"I love you sexy," I said. Stephanie blushed and came over to the bed in just her bra and shorts. She lay next to me and I pulled her into my arms. She cuddled up to me and I smiled.

"It's great to be back in our own bed." Stephanie sighed. I nodded my head and ran my hand up and down her back slowly.

"Goodnight Paul, I love you." She said. I kissed her hair and smiled softly.

"Sweet dreams Stephanie," I murmured. A few minutes later, I heard her soft and even breathing which meant she had fallen asleep. I settled down and tried to get some sleep myself.


	28. Chapter 28

"Paul, please tell me that you are ready?" I called out.

"I'm just finalising all the details and then I'll need to put my jacket on baby," Paul called out. I smiled and left him alone. It had only taken us a week to find the most perfect house and we would be moving in there in the next month. It was a six-bedroom, two-storey house and Paul loved it just as much as I did. We were both very excited. Tonight however, was a very important night. Tonight was the night that we were going to be telling our families that we were engaged. I knew my family was going to be over the moon but his family I wasn't too sure about. I hadn't even met his sister or her children yet. Kaliyah crawled into the room and she looked at me. I had managed to find her a dress in the same colour I was wearing and I had tied the long bits of her hair that sat on top of her head up in a bow. Kaliyah sat up and smiled at me. She had inherited that cheeky grin off of her Dad and her eyes, even though they were blue, sparkled the same way that his did. I heard his footsteps and he came into the room, lifting Kaliyah up as he did.

"Wow, you girls look beautiful." He said. I blushed as he walked over to me and grabbed my hand.

"Do I look all right?" He asked. I nodded my head and he smiled.

"Let's get going then," He said. I smiled and followed him out of the room. Mom and Dad had gladly offered to hold the family dinner that was including Paul's family as well. The nerves were already building up and I realised that my family might not be over the moon. I had no idea how both of our families were going to react.

As we arrived at my parent's house, I realised that Paul's family was already there.

"Are you nervous?" Paul asked me. I nodded my head and got out of the car, getting Kaliyah out of the car.

"Don't be, they'll be happy for us." Paul said, coming to the side and getting the diaper bag out.

"Paul, how do you know that?" I asked, turning to look at him.

"I know that as long as I am happy, my family will be happy for me." Paul said. I nodded my head and smiled softly.

"I love you Steph and that's all that matters here," Paul said. I nodded my head and pressed my lips against his. We made our way up to the veranda and Paul was greeted by a small girl that nearly tackled him to the ground.

"Hi Uncle Paul," She said happily. I smiled down at the little girl and then Kaliyah pulled at my hair.

"Okay sweetheart, we'll go inside and find Gamma all right?" I said. I walked inside and spotted my Mom in the kitchen instantly. Kaliyah smiled and we walked over to her.

"Where is Paul's family?" I asked.

"Your Dad is sitting out the back with them. Hello Kaliyah my little Princess, give Gamma a big kiss." Mom said. Kaliyah leant forward and slobbered on Mom's cheek which made Mom laugh.

"We'll keep trying with that one." She said. I put Kaliyah on the ground and hugged Mom.

"Go out the back and help entertain our guests." Mom said. I nodded and spotted Kaliyah standing up. I walked over to her and softly held her hand.

"Come on Princess, we're going to go see Nanny, Poppy and Aunty Lynn." I said. I helped her walk, very slowly, to the back door and then I opened it. Dad rose from his chair when he saw us and Kaliyah squealed excitedly.

"You want to see if you can walk by yourself to Poppa? That isn't too far to walk to." I said. Dad got on his knees and I helped her walk a bit further and then I let go of her hand. Her steps were rushed as she made her way to Dad and she fell into his arms.

"Good girl!" Dad said.

"She's a very smart baby my granddaughter," Patricia gushed.

"And she's looking more like her Daddy every single day," Paul Senior said.

"That's not a good thing Dad," Lynn said. She stood up and made her way over to me.

"Hi my name is Lynn and I'm Paul's sister. I'm sure you met my daughter Natalie and over here is my son Patrick." Lynn said. I smiled and waved over at Patrick.

"It's so nice to meet you, that little bundle of joy your Mom is trying to tackle from my Dad is your niece Kaliyah and my name is Stephanie." I said. Lynn nodded and hugged me softly.

"Dad, just give Kaliyah to Patricia please, you can hold her later." I said. Dad sighed and handed Kaliyah over to Patricia.

During dinner, the nerves started to come back and I was trying not to shake. Paul gave my thigh a gentle squeeze which I knew meant that it was time to tell everyone. I looked at him frantically and silently prayed that he would wait.

"Can you please excuse me for a moment?" I said, getting up and walking to the bathroom. Paul followed me and pulled me into his arms.

"Don't be scared baby, if you want, I will say everything okay?" Paul said. I nodded and bit my lip.

"Stephanie, all we are trying to do is show our families how much we love each other okay? So you don't need to be worried about their reactions because they don't really matter. No matter how they react, I will still love you, you will still love me and we will still be a family." Paul said. I nodded my head in agreement and he smiled happily. I pressed my lips against his and gripped his hand tightly.

"Let's go tell them." I said. Paul nodded and took us back out to the dining room.

"Family, we have an announcement." Paul said as soon as we got back into the dining room. Everyone stopped talking and looked up at us. Even Kaliyah, sitting in her high chair, stopped and stared up at us.

"Now, you know Stephanie and I have been together a long time, nearly two years and during that time, we have had a child and proved over and over that we both love each other. Well, while we were in France, I decided that I wanted Stephanie in my life forever. Being without Steph and Kaliyah for three months proved that I needed her in my life forever so I proposed." Paul said. He looked at me and I smiled softly.

"And I said yes so family... we are getting married." I said happily, holding out my left hand and letting them all see the diamond on top of my ring finger. A collective gasp filled the room and I smiled softly. I couldn't tell their reactions at the moment but hopefully they'd be good.


	29. Chapter 29

**Linda's P.O.V**

A silence filled the room as we all processed the news.

"Ma-Ma," Kaliyah said, breaking everyone out of their silent reverie.

"Congratulations!" I said, standing up, and walking around the table. I hugged Stephanie first and then I hugged Paul.

"You take care of those girls." I said to him. He nodded his head and kissed my cheek.

"That's my responsibility now, I know that." Paul said. I nodded my head and my husband moved me as he hugged Paul as well.

"I'm so proud to call you my son-in-law." I heard him say. I looked over at the table and saw that all of Paul's family had remained seated. As our family returned to our seats, they all stood up.

"I think it is best that we left now." Patricia announced. I looked over at them confused and saw Stephanie stare at them bewildered.

"Mom, Dad, Lynn, come on, don't go." Paul said, standing up. Kaliyah started scrunching her fists up so he picked her up and followed his family out of the room. I heard yelling and I looked over at Stephanie, whom was sitting with her face in her hands.

"Steph," I said softly. She looked up and I saw the tears flooding her blue-grey eyes.

"Stephanie," I repeated, her name falling from my lips. I heard Kaliyah scream high-pitched and I watched as Stephanie rose and ran outside. I followed her and saw her grab Kaliyah and run upstairs. I got up and calmly walked outside.

"I don't know what your problem is but I suggest you take it away from my house. You have just reduced my daughter and my granddaughter to tears." I said. Paul spun around and almost knocked me down as he rushed inside.

"Your daughter doesn't deserve my son." Patricia said to me coolly.

"That may be what you think but obviously Paul doesn't think that." I said. Patricia glared at me and she walked down the driveway to her car. I frowned and walked upstairs where I saw Paul standing at a door. He had his head resting against it and I knew Stephanie had locked him out.

"Steph, please open the door." Paul said. I heard the lock click and the door opened. Paul moved forward and pulled Stephanie into a kiss and I felt as though I was intruding on a private moment. Stephanie pulled away and turned to look at me.

"Can we come back downstairs?" She asked. I smiled and nodded my head softly. As she walked past, she placed Kaliyah in my arms and Kaliyah hugged to me tightly.

We spent the rest of the night downstairs and I ended up getting Kaliyah off to sleep so that managed to convince Paul and Stephanie just to stay over. As I walked past their bedroom, I could hear them talking. They must have been sitting up against the door because it was loud.

"I'm sorry baby," Paul whispered.

"It's not your fault," Stephanie replied.

"Yes it is, my Mom has never been accepting of us and I'm sorry I invited her over. What she thinks doesn't matter Stephanie." Paul said. I smiled softly and made my way down to my bedroom. Vince was already in bed and I got in beside him. I rolled onto my side and wrapped my arm across Vince's stomach.

"You know who Paul reminds me of honey?" I said.

"Who's that?" Vince asked, looking down at me.

"He reminds me of you. Especially with the way he has been with Stephanie and Kaliyah. He is so protective over them." I said. Vince nodded his head and I closed my eyes.

"I love you Vince," I murmured.

"I love you too Linda," He replied.

When I woke up the next morning, I decided to make hash browns and pancakes for breakfast. I made my way downstairs and saw Declan, Kenyon, Aidan and Kaliyah all on the sofa watching TV. I was surprised that Kaliyah wasn't making a noise and I smiled at them all as I walked past. I saw Paul standing in the kitchen and I frowned.

"Good morning," I said, sliding into a seat.

"Oh, hey Linda, I hope you don't mind that I'm making everyone breakfast. Hash browns and pancakes, Steph's favourite." Paul smiled. I laughed and he turned back to his cooking.

"It's also Shane and Vince's favourite. I used to make it all the time when Stephanie was growing up." I said.

"Ah, no wonder she says I can never do it any justice. I guess no-one can beat Mom's cooking, am I right?" Paul said, smiling over at me again.

"I'm sure Stephanie sees it that way." I said. Paul nodded and I heard soft footsteps enter the kitchen.

"Good morning," Steph said, in the middle of a yawn.

"Good morning baby girl, it's nice to see that you have your man tamed." I said. Stephanie laughed and walked over to Paul, running her hand up his back.

"I'm going to go watch over the kids." I said, leaving the room.

"Gamma's back!" Declan said when he saw me. I smiled and Kaliyah held her arms out. I lifted her up from in between Declan and Kenyon and she held onto me tightly.

"How are you this morning Miss Kaliyah?" I asked. Kaliyah started babbling and I chuckled. Paul walked into the room and he lifted Aidan up.

"Breakfast is ready!" He said.

"Da-Da, Da-Da," Kaliyah said, holding her arms out. Paul walked over and took Kaliyah in his other arm as well and we walked into the dining room. We all sat down and started eating and five minutes later, Vince, Shane and Marissa stumbled in, stoill half-asleep. I looked around the table and smiled happily.

"Mom, what's got you smiling?" Stephanie asked.

"I just think it's wonderful that for the first time in so long, you are all here and we are eating breakfast all together as a family." I said. Vince smiled and nodded his head.

"I agree with you honey, it's wonderful to have all of you here and we should really do this more often." Vince said. Shane and Stephanie nodded their heads in agreement and I smiled again.

I was so grateful for my family.


	30. Chapter 30

**Paul's P.O.V**

I woke up and rolled over to see my beautiful fiancée and our daughter sleeping peacefully together. I must've slept through the early morning feeding and I silently cursed. Today was Stephanie's twenty-fifth birthday and I had promised her that today was her day so she wouldn't have to get up. I sighed heavily and saw Stephanie's eyes flicker open.

"Good morning," She murmured. I moved closer and pressed my lips against hers.

"Happy birthday baby," I said.

"Aw, you remembered." She said.

"Of course I remembered. It is an important day." I said. Stephanie blushed and smiled at me.

"I love you," She said. I laughed and Steph pulled the covers off of me and put them all over her and Kaliyah.

"Hey!" I said, pouting.

"I'm cold," She said. I got up and made my way into the bathroom for a shower. When I got out, Stephanie wasn't in the bed anymore. I frowned and then I felt her jump on my back.

"Whoa!" I laughed, walking into the bathroom and setting her on the dresser. I turned around and pushed her hair behind her back. She pulled me forward and our lips met. I smiled softly and pulled back.

"Paul Michael Levesque, you are not going to the office today. It is a Saturday and your fiancée's birthday." Stephanie said. I nodded my head and she pressed her lips against mine.

"Thank you so much," She said. I smiled and then I heard a soft thud in our bedroom. Kaliyah's screams filled the room and I rushed out to pick her up. She looked at me with her big eyes and I melted instantly.

"I love you Princess," I murmured.

When Stephanie came out of the bathroom, she blushed when she realised that I was still in the bedroom.

"Get out, I have to get dressed and get all pretty." She said. I smiled and picked Kaliyah up.

"Sure thing sweetheart and then we're going on a family picnic." I called out. The phone started ringing and I walked over to it.

"Hello," I said.

"Hey Paulie, how are you?" Mom said. I sighed and sat down on the sofa.

"I'm good Mom, how are you?" I said. I placed Kaliyah on the ground and she smiled up at me cheekily.

"Stay close to me sweetheart, don't go crawling off." I said. Kaliyah's small palm slapped at my knee and I smiled.

"Would it be all right if I talked to Stephanie?" Mom said.

"What do you want to talk to her about?" I asked, immediately getting defensive.

"Paulie, I want to apologise about my behaviour the other night as well as wish her a happy birthday. I know both of you aren't happy about my reaction but I would like to explain why I keep acting like this." Mom said.

"All right, you tell me why you keep acting like this Mom because I have no idea why you do it. It hurts me every time you know?" I said.

"I know Paulie and I'm sorry." Mom sighed.

"Well... I am waiting." I said a bit too coldly towards my Mother. I heard her sigh and take a deep breath.

"Paulie, ever since Tamara was in your life, I had only seen you miserable. I wanted you to get out of that relationship and you didn't. Once she fell pregnant, I thought that she would change and you would be happier but you weren't. I could tell how scared you were and I could tell that you didn't want a child with Tamara. You wanted a baby, yes and I'm not saying that you didn't love Alexander any less because of his mother but I could see you didn't want a baby, especially with her." Mom said.

"That may be true Mom but what has that got to do with Stephanie?" I asked.

"I suppose that when you got together with Stephanie, you really only knew each other for a month and then she was having your baby. I hadn't even met the girl; of course I had my reservations. I don't know Paulie, maybe after everything Tamara did, I will never think that any girl is deserving of you." Mom said.

"Mom, I understand you reasoning but just because I am your baby doesn't mean that you should be treating my fiancée like a piece of crap. I know full well that what Tamara did ruined my life but Stephanie, and now Kaliyah, they have fixed it. Please Mom, you've gotta accept that and treat Stephanie and your baby granddaughter with respect." I said. I heard Mom sigh and I knew it was a sigh of defeat.

"Would she want to talk to me?" Mom asked.

"I'll ask her Mom," I said. I put the phone down and called out to Stephanie.

"Yeah honey?" She said, coming out in a sundress.

"My Mom is on the phone and she would like to talk to you." I said. Stephanie nodded and took the phone from my hands. She walked back into the bedroom and shut the door. I looked down at Kaliyah and smiled softly.

"Let's hope that Nanny and Mommy work things out." I said. Kaliyah squealed and I took that as her agreement.

When Stephanie came out again, she remained silent.

"Steph, are you gonna tell me what happened?" I asked. Stephanie smiled and walked over to the sofa.

"Everything is fine Paul; I don't think we need to talk about it." She said. I frowned and held my hand out. She gripped onto it and leant over the back of the sofa to press her lips against mine.

"Paul, don't worry about it." She said. I pressed my lips together and saw her bend to pick Kaliyah up.

"Come on Mister, I want to go on this picnic already." She said. I nodded and looked at the time.

"Oh man, we're running late." I said. Stephanie laughed as I got up and led her out the door, my hand resting on her back.

"Hey, I didn't get my present from you?" She said turning around I smiled and softly chuckled.

"You'll get it once we get our butts to the party okay? Now hurry!" I said. She nodded and we made our way down to the car.

When we arrived at the park, I saw her family all there waiting for us as well as Elise, Noah, Chris, Chris's children, Christian and Sophie. I grabbed the present bag out of the back and placed it on Stephanie's lap.

"Oh, you really did buy me a present!" She said happily. I nodded my head and leant over to kiss her before she rummaged through her present.

"Oh my goodness baby, this necklace is beautiful!" She gushed, holding it open. I nodded and smiled.

"Kaliyah helped me choose that out." I said. She pulled out the next present and rolled her eyes.

"Trust you to buy me lingerie." She said. I laughed and nodded my head. She pulled out her bracelet and the two other dresses I got her and she loved them as well. Then we got out and walked over to where everyone was.

Stephanie had a great time that day and I was glad she did. We never got home until later in the night and I knew Stephanie was extremely tired. As I got Kaliyah into her cot in the nursery and made sure she went back to sleep, Stephanie was in our bedroom trying to sleep herself. I walked in after Kaliyah's even breathing filled the nursery and saw Stephanie tossing and turning.

"Steph, are you all right baby?" I asked her. She nodded and rolled over to look at me.

"I'm fine just incredibly tired. Let's cuddle up." She said. I nodded and got into bed next to her where we cuddled up.

"I love you," I whispered, kissing her lips softly.

"I love you too and thank you for making my birthday so special," She said. I smiled and we both closed our eyes and fell asleep soon after.


	31. Chapter 31

**Thirty-One**

"Paul, are you going to help me with these boxes?" I called out. Paul came into the room and picked the boxes up.

"Of course baby, I don't want you to lift a finger." He said. I nodded and picked Kaliyah up from the ground.

"Hello young Missy," I said, softly pushing her hair back. Kaliyah's eyes were bright and she smiled at me. As her blonde hair fell back down, she laughed and I hugged her tightly.

"I love you Princess," I whispered. I looked over at Paul and saw him watching us.

"What about Daddy? Do you love Daddy too Mommy?" Paul asked. I shrugged my shoulders and walked over to him.

"I suppose I love him a little bit." I said, allowing him to wrap his arms around me.

"Only a little bit?" Paul murmured, pressing his warm, wet lips against my neck. I smiled and leaned back into him.

"Okay, I love him a lot." I replied. Paul smiled and gently patted my waist.

"I'm gonna miss this place." I said, looking around.

"I'm gonna miss it as well." Paul said, picking up the very last box. He took my hand and we left the apartment.

"Are you ready to start our new life?" He asked. I nodded my head and we drove off, ready to move into our new house.

"Welcome home baby," Paul announced as we pulled into the driveway. I smiled and got out of the car. Mom, Dad, Shane and Marissa were already here, as well as Declan, Kenyon and Aidan, and they were already moving stuff inside. Paul came around to me and smiled softly.

"Are you all right?" He asked. I nodded and wrapped my arms around his waist.

"I can't believe that this is our house." I murmured, looking up at it.

"Are you happy about moving to a new house?" Paul asked.

"Yeah I am very happy; I always wanted to live in a house, not an apartment." I said.

"I'm still sad to leave the apartment though Stephanie, it had so many memories." Paul whispered, pressing his lips against my hair.

"I know Paul but it's no longer the time to live in the past, we must live in the present and strive towards the future but never forget about the past because the past is what makes us stronger people you know." I said. Paul nodded and I looked up to press my lips against his.

"I love you." I said.

"I love you too; now let's get Kaliyah out of the car before she has a tantrum and into this new house!" Paul said. I smiled and nodded my head.

As we walked into the house, I saw the entire living room set up and Aidan was sitting on the lounge watching TV.

"Sorry, we needed something to distract him." Marissa said. I nodded my head and laughed. I placed Kaliyah down in front of the coffee table and saw her look around at the new surroundings with a slight frown on her face.

"Kaliyah, don't be worried, this is our new house." I said, in my soothing voice. I saw her body relax and she started crawling around. Paul came up to me from behind and wrapped his arms around me.

"Come check out our bedroom." He said. I nodded and took his hand as he led me upstairs.

"Wow, this is beautiful." I whispered, looking around. The room was brightly lit and very spacious. I looked around and went to look at the view from our window. Our backyard was massive and from this window I could see the pool and the spa. I smiled and turned to see Paul watching me.

"I love this room. Which one is going to be Kaliyah's?" I asked. Paul took my hand and took me down two rooms.

"This one is going to be Kaliyah's. I figured that the one closest to ours could be a nursery." He said. I nodded my head and smiled.

"Someone's expecting something." I teased.

"No but I figured that would give you something to do of a day, you can decorate Kaliyah's room and then you can set up a nursery." Paul said. I nodded and smiled my head.

The night before, I had made the decision to become a stay-at-home Mum. It was a tough decision to make but I knew it was the right one. With Kaliyah three months from turning one year old, I either needed to start putting her in day care or I needed to stay home and take care of her. Paul had agreed that it was the best decision possible; we both didn't want Kaliyah growing up with nannies or carers.

"That is a very good idea," I murmured softly, straightening his shirt collar and running my hands down his biceps. I smiled as he brought his head closer to mine and his nose bumped into mine softly. All of a sudden, I heard Kaliyah crying and I pulled away.

"Let your Mom get her," Paul sighed.

"No baby, she's our daughter." I replied. I walked out of the room and down the stairs where Kaliyah was sitting.

"What's up Missy Moo?" I said, rubbing her back. Kaliyah snuggled into my neck and I heard her yawn softly. I smiled and kept her tightly in one arm.

"Mommy would love to go to sleep right now as well." I murmured. I walked out to the back veranda and saw a chair swing set up. I sat down on it sideways and leant back so Kaliyah could rest on my chest, with her face nuzzled into my neck. I rubbed her back and closed my own eyes.

Kaliyah woke me up a couple of hours later with a painful tug of my hair.

"Ow," I mumbled. Kaliyah giggled and I smiled. The back door opened and I saw Mom peek out.

"Stephanie, we're all about to go. Your house is all set up." Mom said. I stood up sand stretched. Mom took Kaliyah from my arms and I followed her inside.

"Where's Paul?" I asked, coughing to clear my throat.

"He just went out to get dinner." Mom replied. I nodded and looked around the house. It looked amazing.

"Marissa and I organised everything, the boys just moved it around." Mom said. I smiled and nodded my head.

"Thank you so much for helping out, it is really appreciated." I said, as I walked Mom out to the car. Mom nodded and hugged me tightly.

"You're more than welcome honey, call me over the day you want to pain Kaliyah's room and such and I will be glad to help you out." Mom said. I nodded my head and she kissed my cheek. When she let go of me, I walked around to the other side of the car and hugged Dad.

"Can we go out for lunch sometime soon? Just the two of us and probably Kaliyah?" I asked. Dad nodded and kissed my forehead softly.

"I've missed spending time with you." I said seriously. Dad nodded his head and smiled softly.

"I've missed our Daddy-Daughter time." Dad said. I smiled and he got into the car.

"See you soon!" He said. I nodded and waved as Mom and Dad left. Shane, Marissa and the boys had already gone before I had woken up so I hadn't gotten to say goodbye to them. Just as I was about to walk inside, I saw Paul's car pull into the driveway. I smiled and looked back to check on Kaliyah who was sitting on the veranda. I walked over to Paul's car and smiled at him.

"Did you have a good sleep baby?" Paul asked. I nodded my head and smiled.

"All right, let me get inside so we can have dinner." Paul said. I nodded and took the shopping bags off of him. He scooped Kaliyah up and we walked inside.

"Paul," I said, stopping him and turning to face him. He stared at me and I nudged him softly.

"Welcome home," I said. Paul smiled at me and I smiled back.

This here, with Paul and Kaliyah, was the most wonderful home I could ask for.


	32. Chapter 32

**Thirty-Two**

Two Weeks Later

"Stephanie, my new assistant Emily is coming over this afternoon and I want you to make her feel welcome. I need to discuss the meeting that is coming up tomorrow with her and how to take notes." Paul said as he got home. I nodded my head and smiled at him softly.

"Dad!" Kaliyah squealed excitedly. Paul walked over to her and dropped a kiss into her hair while she sat there watching my favourite movie, _Sleeping Beauty. _I stood up and went into the kitchen to check on dinner. We had gotten into an argument last night and we were yet to discuss it.

"What time is she coming over?" I asked him. He shrugged and threw his jacket across the table.

"Paul, can you please not do that? Take it either to the laundry or to our bedroom." I said. Paul nodded and picked it up. He walked out of the room and I rolled my eyes.

"Also, I'm going out tomorrow for lunch with my Dad and I don't know what time I will be home." I said. Paul nodded and pulled me over to him.

"Do you want me to mind Kaliyah tomorrow? I can take her to the office." He said. I smiled and shook my head.

"I know that you have your big meeting tomorrow." I said. Paul nodded and his hand joined together at the small of my back.

"I'm sorry about being a jerk last night," He whispered softly. I sighed and ran my fingers through the end of his ponytail.

"You know it was just the anger talking." Paul said.

"That doesn't make it hurt any less." I replied, feeling the anger build up in me again. Paul could obviously sense this anger as well as he unjoined his hands and pulled me into his arms tightly, my face pressed up against his chest.

"I know it doesn't make it hurt any less but I am so sorry for everything." Paul said. I sighed and avoided his gaze. I heard the doorbell ring and I felt Paul reluctantly pull away from me.

"Do you want me to get it?" He asked. I nodded and he walked out of the kitchen.

Five minutes later, I heard talking and laughing and I looked at the doorway. I saw Kaliyah sitting in the doorway and she smiled at me. I smiled back and then Paul came into the room followed by a woman. My jaw dropped when I saw her and I froze.

"Stephanie, this is my new assistant, her name is Emily." Paul said. I nodded my head and Emily came over and held her hand out.

"I've heard so much about you Stephanie." She said. I nodded and shook her hand quickly.

"Elise just pulled up as well Stephanie," Paul said. I nodded and rushed out of the room. I looked back and saw Emily smiling at Paul.

I couldn't believe how beautiful Emily was. She was shorter than me, only by a couple of inches but her long, blonde hair reached her lower back and her bright green eyes were stunning. She didn't have a bad figure either. Knowing Paul, and his flirtatious ways, he was probably doing what came natural to him, flirting with her. I opened the front door and saw Noah crawling across the veranda. I smiled and stepped out of the way so he could crawl past. Elise walked up to the door and hugged me.

"So... you've met her then?" She asked. I scowled and nodded my head.

"Trust me, none of us like her. Even Paul wasn't too happy to see her." Elise said. I rolled my eyes and we walked inside.

"I don't get it though Paul," I heard her say.

"Look, all I am telling you is that you have to write these notes quickly so I can get them all." Paul said. I smirked when I heard the frustrated tone of voice he used. I walked into the kitchen with Elise and stood there with his hands on my hips.

"I'm going to finish making dinner." I announced. Emily looked up at me curiously and I avoided staring at her.

"Okay baby, do you want us to move?" He asked. I shook my head and walked past him, I ran my up his back and let my engagement ring scrape against his back.

"I apologise if my coming in here has inconvenienced you." I said. Elise giggled and I smiled back at her.

"All right Elise, are you and Noah going to be staying for dinner?" I asked. Elise nodded her head excitedly and I laughed at her enthusiasm.

"What, you make the best meals, right Paul?" Elise said. Paul turned around and rolled his eyes.

"I'm in the process of teaching Emily how to do a very difficult job Elise, please don't interrupt me." Paul said. I laughed and then I spotted Kaliyah and Noah crawling into the room together.

"Noah Patrick James, are you holding my daughter's development back?" I said. Noah looked up at me and he squealed. I smiled and both Noah and Kaliyah went over to Paul.

"These two are a constant in and around my office as well Emily." Paul said. Emily's face scrunched up in displeasure and I frowned.

"I'm not too fond of kids much. Are they both yours?" She asked.

"No, I'm sorry but didn't you see Noah come in with Elise?" I said. Emily spun around and shrugged.

"He could have slept with both of you." She said. My eyes widened and I clenched my fists together.

"Nah, Noah's been like a son to me, haven't you little man?" Paul said, ruffling his hair.

Emily ended up staying for dinner as well. I couldn't believe Paul would hire someone so ditzy.

"Paul before we have dinner can I talk to you?" I asked. Paul nodded and followed me out of the room.

"I don't like her," I said honestly. Paul laughed and nodded his head.

"Christian hired her, not me. I don't like her either." He said. I nodded and pressed my lips against his.

"Make sure she knows that you are mine, I don't want her trying to take you." I said, possessively. Paul nodded and kissed me again.

"Let's go eat, I'm starving." He said. I nodded and walked back into the room, hand-in-hand.

"So Paul, how long have you and Stephanie been dating?" Emily asked.

"Uh, it's been two years." Paul replied. I smiled and looked over at Elise.

"Oh, that's wonderful; your daughter is very pretty." Emily said.

"Yeah, she looks like her Mommy." Paul said proudly. I turned to look at him and I smiled.

"You win a kiss for that." I said. Paul smiled as I leant over and kissed him softly. As I pulled away, I turned to look at Elise.

"Has Robbie seen Noah yet?" I asked. Elise swallowed her mouthful and nodded.

"Yeah he saw him last week but Noah didn't know who he was so he was screaming like mad. I felt so bad for him and I really didn't want to leave him with Robbie and when I got back he was still screaming so Chris took him and he went silent which pissed Robert off." Elise said. I nodded my head and sighed.

"I could imagine Paul being so jealous if Kaliyah was like that. For a little while she used to hit him, while we were in France but I think that was because we left her Uncle Shane." I said, smiling. Paul chuckled and I looked over at Kaliyah lovingly. She was banging her tray and her food was all over her face. I smiled and saw Emily get up.

"I suppose I shall help you clean up Stephanie and then I will be on my way." Emily said.

"That's fine; you don't need to help me clean up." I said.

"No it's no problem. Paul, maybe you should get Kaliyah off to sleep, she looks incredibly tired." Emily said. I frowned at her and bit my lip. How dare she tell my fiancé what to do! I was irritated. I stood up, grabbed the plates and stormed out to the kitchen. I threw the plates in the sink and heard them all smash into pieces. I groaned and started picking up the pieces.

"Shit!" I exclaimed, quickly withdrawing my hand from the sink and seeing the blood pour down my palm. I pulled my t-shirt over my head and wrapped it around my hand to stop the blood from continuing to pour out. Emily came into the room and I saw her look me up and down. She raised her eyebrows and came to rest against the counter.

"What do you want?" I grumbled.

"I don't see what he sees in you." She said simply. I didn't move and I tried to make my breathing even. I needed to calm down.

"Let's see, it only took you a month to get with him, I give myself a week." Emily said. I turned around and glared at her.

"Get out of my house and if I even hear about you coming onto my fiancé, I will make sure he fires you." I said. Emily smirked and walked out.

When I walked into the room later that night, I saw Paul sitting up in bed, reading a book.

"What are ya reading?" I asked. Paul shrugged and put the book down.

"Are you all right?" He asked. I nodded my head and smiled softly.

"I'm fine Paul." I replied. He stood up and came over to take my cut hand softly in his.

"I don't think that is fine Stephanie." Paul said seriously, running his hand over the bandage.

"Paul, seriously, I just got mad. I threw the plates into the sink and when I was picking the pieces up when I cut myself. It is no big deal Paul, I am fine." I said. Paul sighed and I took my camisole singlet off.

"I just want to go to sleep now Paul," I murmured, getting into the bed. Paul got in beside me and I saw the mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Paul, I'm not going to sleep tonight am I?" I asked. Paul shook his head and started assaulting my neck with warm kisses. I moaned softly and tangled my hands in his hair.

This was going to be a great night.


	33. Chapter 33

**Thirty-Three**

"Stephanie, come on or we are going to be late for Noah's birthday!" Paul called out. I smiled and walked out of my bedroom, all rugged up in jeans, a long sleeved t-shirt, a jacket, a scarf and a beanie. As I saw Kaliyah in Paul's arms, I smiled at how cute she looked. Kaliyah was wearing her brand new long sleeved dress, with white stockings. Paul had put her pink cowgirl boots on and her pink jacket.

"Where's Kaliyah's beanie?" I asked. Paul tossed it to me and I placed it on her head. She looked at me disgruntled and tried to take it off but I shook my head.

"No you don't Missy; you aren't going to get sick." I said. Paul's fingers went through the loophole of my jeans and he pulled me closer to them.

"Paul, aren't we going to be late?" I said. Paul nodded and smiled.

"Come on, let's go." He said. I nodded my head and we left the house.

We arrived at the community centre that Elise had booked out and I saw Ash run past. I smiled and got out of the car.

"Hiya Paul!" Ash said when he spotted Paul.

"Hey Champ," Paul said. I got Kaliyah out of the car and I placed her on the ground. I held her hand tightly and we slowly walked towards the centre. When we got in, Kaliyah dropped to her knees and started crawling around everywhere.

"Stephanie, come over here!" Elise called out. I smiled and walked over to her, handing her the present.

"Thanks!" She said happily. I smiled and I watched as Kaliyah made her way over to Noah and Noah stared at her. I smiled and ran my hand through my hair.

"It's hard to believe that this time last year, you were in the hospital and I was due to give birth in five weeks." I said.

"I know, look at how big our babies are." Elise sighed happily. I grinned and nodded my head in agreement.

"Do you reckon Paul is right and we might be in-laws later on in life?" I asked. Elise laughed and then she shook her head.

"Honestly, I don't think so. I think in a way, Noah is going to be Kaliyah's big brother in a sense, her protector." Elise said. I smiled and nodded my head. As I saw our children interact with each other I agreed with her. Sometimes, you could even see a protective glint in Noah's interactions.

"Where have you been?" I asked Paul when he came up to me.

"Duh, I've been over with Chris." He said. I stared at him and he placed his hands on my waist.

"You want to give me a hug?" He asked. I nodded and moved into his arms.

"This has been a good birthday party," I murmured.

"What was that baby?" Paul asked, bending down so his forehead was touching mine.

"I said this has been a good birthday party, I can't wait until we get to have our one for Li-Li." I said. Paul nodded his head and his mouth brushed over mine.

"Guys, smile for the camera!" Elise called out. I turned to look at her and I smiled brightly whilst Paul pressed his lips against my cheek.

"Come on, you guys have to come and get in a photo with me and Noah. Make sure Kaliyah comes into it as well." Elise said. I nodded and Paul jogged off to get Kaliyah. I bent down and kissed Noah and he laughed. He looked so much like Elise, nothing like Robert at all. Paul came back with Kaliyah and we posed for the camera. After that, Kaliyah held her arms out and I took her.

"Elise, your Mom is here." I said, pointing to the door. Elise squealed and Paul managed to take Noah from his arms before she ran over to the door. Noah looked up at Paul expectantly and I smiled at him.

"He already looks up to you." I said.

"That is because Robert is never around for him. Sure, now he's got Chris but I've been with him since day one and I hope the little man will know that no matter what, I will be here for him. I love him like he is my son." Paul said. I nodded my head and grinned softly.

"I'm glad you think of him like that." I said. Paul smiled and we placed both Kaliyah and Noah on the ground.

"You want to go for a quick walk outside Stephanie?" Paul asked me. I nodded my head and walked out of the centre. Paul's cell phone started ringing and he pulled it out.

"What do you want Emily?" Paul said angrily. There was silence for a few seconds and Paul slid his hand in the back pocket off my jeans. I wrapped my arm around his waist and stayed silent as we continued walking.

"Emily, Christian is in the office, go and get him and get him to fix it because I'm currently busy." Paul said. He shut his cell phone and shook his head.

"What's happening back at work?" I asked. Paul rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Emily is driving me up the wall. I know I used to tease you about never being able to get the work done but you did. It seemed that a lot of the time, we were just mucking around and not doing anything but seriously, we would be able to get the work done together. And you know how sometimes I had naps during the day?" Paul asked. I nodded my head and we turned around to head back to the centre.

"Well, she doesn't even listen to me when I ask her to wake me up by a certain time for a meeting or whatever. Damn, I miss having you at work." Paul said.

"I'm sorry to hear that baby, how about I come in and visit tomorrow? I can bring Kaliyah just before you finish up and we can go to your parent's place for dinner because they want us over there." I said.

"Sure thing Stephanie but I will have to wait until I find out how much crap Christian and Emily have left me." Paul said. I nodded my head and looked up at his face. He looked annoyed, irritated and even tired.

"Baby, stop for a second," I said, moving my arm from around his waist. He looked down at me and I gently pressed my lips against his.

"Don't get yourself too worried about it. Look, how about I come in tomorrow and help you get everything up to date so you can stop stressing? I know I'm not working there anymore but I don't like seeing you stressed." I said. Paul smiled appreciatively and nodded his head. Then we went back inside just as they were doing the birthday cake.

"All right, I think we should start heading off now." I announced after Kaliyah had been tired out. She had crawled over to us and was now standing between Paul's legs with her head resting on his thigh. Paul picked Kaliyah up and I smiled at her. She was trying so hard to stay awake. I walked over to Elise and hugged her tightly.

"We're going to go now before we have an incredibly huge tantrum on our hands." I said. Elise laughed and walked over to kiss Kaliyah.

"Thank you for coming Li-Li." She said. Kaliyah lifted her head up but dropped it straight away again and I giggled.

"See you tomorrow Elise, I'll be coming in to work to help out." I said.

"All right, see you then Stephanie." She said. I nodded my head and we left.

"Here, I'll put Kaliyah to bed." I whispered, when we got home. Paul nodded and he gently put her in my arms. I took her up to her bedroom and placed her in her brand new bed. It was her birthday present but we set it up already because Paul was all excited. Sure, most babies were still in cots but we didn't feel the need to have her in a cot. The bed was low to the ground so there was a low risk of her falling out as well. I stood there watching her sleep for a moment and I smiled. I couldn't believe how much she had grown over the past near-eleven months. I was so proud that I could call her my daughter. At first, I had some trouble but now that was all gone, I was so happy that I had both Paul and Kaliyah in my life.

I don't know what I would do without them now.


	34. Chapter 34

**Thirty-Four**

Paul's P.O.V

Christmas

"Paul, wake up." Stephanie said, running my hand up his chest. I groaned and placed my hand over hers.

"Stop, it's time to sleep." I murmured.

"No, it's Christmas, it's Kaliyah's first Christmas." She whispered.

"Uh huh, is Kaliyah awake yet?" I asked.

"No," She said. I reluctantly opened my eyes and saw her face shining with excitement. I smiled and she leant down to kiss me softly. I ran my hand up her thigh and smiled.

"Merry Christmas baby," I said.

"Same to you, this is our first Christmas as a family." She replied. I nodded and sat up.

"All right, let's go wake Li-Li up and do some present opening." I said. Steph clapped excitedly and stood up to leave the room. I got out of bed and stretched.

I walked downstairs five minutes later, and I saw Stephanie sitting on the ground and Kaliyah was next to her drinking her bottle. I smiled at the sight of the two most beautiful girls in my life and sat down next to Stephanie.

"All right, lay the presents on me." I said. Stephanie looked at me and I smiled cheekily.

"You're so funny." She said. I nodded my head and pulled out a small present for her.

"Here you go Stephanie, Merry Christmas." I said. Stephanie smiled and I smiled back at her. She looked down and opened it and gasped when she saw the bracelet.

"I got Kaliyah one the exact same." I said. Stephanie smiled and I helped her put it on her delicate wrist. Kaliyah crawled over to us and she crawled into my lap.

After Stephanie opened all of her and Kaliyah's presents, I realised that there were no presents under the tree for me.

"Did someone forget to go out and buy Daddy presents?" I said. Stephanie smiled and shook her head.

"Your present wouldn't fit under the tree." Stephanie said. I frowned and Kaliyah started pulling on my hair.

"Daddy!" She squealed. I looked down at her and saw her smiling. Stephanie stood up and I stood up as well.

"Come on, your present is out here," She said. I nodded and her fingers slid through mine. She took me to the garage and I frowned. She opened the door and my jaw dropped.

"You are amazing!" I said, turning around to face her.

"I asked your Dad what to get you and he said it has always been your dream to have a fully customised Harley Davidson. However, I want you to promise me that you won't go crazy and end up getting yourself injured."Stephanie said.

"Of course I won't baby," I said. I leant over and kissed her deeply and she pulled back.

"Unfortunately, you won't have any time to use it because we have to get ready. We have to go to your parents place and then we have to go to my parent's place." Stephanie said. I sighed and I nodded reluctantly.

"Do you know how much I love you?" I said. Stephanie smiled and pulled me out of the garage.

"Yes I do know how much you love me and I love you so much more. Now come on, give me Kaliyah so I can run the bath for her. While I am doing that, you get in a shower and get ready." Stephanie said. I nodded my head and we went back upstairs.

"I'm laying your outfit out on the bed so get changed into that. We're all going to be matching today." Stephanie said. I nodded my head and went into the bathroom. I started the bath for her and got into the shower.

After getting out of the shower, I went and got changed into the black dress pants and the red dress shirt that was lying on my bed. It looked like Stephanie was definitely getting into the Christmas spirit. I smiled and went over to brush my hair. I was going to leave it out today. As I finished brushing my hair, I saw Kaliyah crawl out of the bathroom butt naked. I chuckled and walked over to her. I threw my towel on her and bent down to rub her dry.

"Come on Princess; let's go get you changed as well." I said taking her to her bedroom. Sure enough, Stephanie had laid her clothes out as well and I smiled. I put Kaliyah's diaper on and then followed with red stockings and a black skirt. After I fixed them up, I pulled on her red t-shirt and I lifted her up.

"Come on Princess, I'll take you back to my room to get your brand new bracelet." I said. Kaliyah squealed and I walked back into our bedroom, I placed Kaliyah on the dresser where I picked up her bracelet.

"You know, your big brother had a bracelet like this, he was gonna get his for his first Christmas too." I whispered as I clipped it onto her very small wrist. I lifted Kaliyah up and I hugged her tightly just as Stephanie came out of the bathroom in a black dress that came to the middle of her thighs.

"Aw, look at how cute you both look!" She said. I smiled and she came over to us. I bent down to kiss her and I placed my free hand on her waist.

"You look absolutely beautiful," I said. Stephanie blushed and took Kaliyah from my arms.

"Are you ready to go?" She asked. I nodded and we went back down to the garage. I looked at my motorcycle longingly and Stephanie pulled me towards the car.

"No honey," Stephanie said. I nodded my head and watched as she put Kaliyah into her car seat. Then Stephanie got into the front and I reached over to take her hand in mine. Stephanie looked over at me and I smiled softly at her just before we drove over to my parents place.

When we arrived, I got Kaliyah out of the car and saw Mom and Dad come out the front and head towards our car. Mom stopped and hugged Stephanie and I smiled at the sight of them. Once Mom had finally accepted Stephanie, they had been getting along great. I got Kaliyah out and placed her on the ground where she walked towards my Dad excitedly. He lifted her up and hugged her tightly.

"How is my precious granddaughter?" Dad asked.

"She's going great, she is a lot more confident in walking now. That's all thanks to Stephanie, she's been making her walk everywhere instead of crawling around. It's great when I get home from work and you just see the most wonderful thing in your life walking towards you excitedly." I said. Dad nodded and laughed.

"That's how I felt with Lynn and with you." Dad said. I nodded my head and smiled.

"Now look at you, you're towering over me and I still feel that proud Daddy feeling every time that you or Lynn walk toward me." Dad smiled. I smiled and hugged him tightly.

"Daddy!" Kaliyah squealed. I smiled and looked down at my daughter.

"Stop smothering my granddaughter and give her to me." Mom said. I smiled and handed her over to Mom.

"Can you say Nanny?" She said to her. Kaliyah babbled something off in baby talk and I laughed.

"Mom, she only says Mommy, Daddy and Bub-Bub." I said.

"Why does she say Bub-Bub?" Mom asked. I laughed and shrugged.

"Maybe it's a sign of things to come." I suggested, walking over to Stephanie.

"Your Mom is in shock about what you just said." Stephanie said. I shrugged and she pulled me back to the car.

"I've got one final present for you." She whispered. I nodded my head and we got back into the car where I saw a present bag. I opened it and pulled out a tiny t-shirt, a small envelope that felt empty and an envelope that felt as though there was a card in there. I looked at her confusedly and she smiled.

"Open it, I'm going inside." I said. I opened the card and there was a poem inside.

**Dear Daddy,**

**I'm a surprise for Mommy and You**

**And a surprise for my big sister too**

**I'm not planned but wanted**

**Changing your family of three**

**Because in a few months time,**

**You'll have to add me.**

**Please keep this a secret**

**Mommy doesn't want people to know**

**When the time is ready, yes**

**Maybe they'll guess with her glow**

**I'm sure I'll see you soon**

**I really can't wait**

**Until I move into the nursery**

**Soon after my due date**

**Love your new baby**

**Xx**

I smiled softly and unfolded the t-shirt that said, **I Love Daddy**. I smiled and ran my hand over it. Then I opened the final envelope and pulled out a sonogram picture. My eyes welled up with tears when the reality hit me. Stephanie was pregnant. I stared at the picture for a little while and then I put it all back in the present bag and got out of the car. I walked into the house and saw Stephanie standing in the doorway. One of her hands was resting absently over her belly and I smiled. How hadn't I read the signs before now?

I made my way over to her and softly pressed my lips against her temple.

"Looks like we have to get married within the next couple of months then," I whispered in her ear. I swear the smile on her face couldn't have been any bigger.

"Are you serious? You're not gonna run out on me?" She whispered back. I shook my head and kissed her deeply. I didn't care that I was standing in front of my parents. I felt her arms wrap around my neck and I pulled away smiling.

"When?" I asked.

"End of August," She replied. I smiled and kissed her again.

"Paul and Stephanie come in and open your presents." Mom said. I smiled and we made our way into the living room. I was so happy that she was pregnant. Our family was going to be bigger and I couldn't wait.


	35. Chapter 35

You Had My Heart From The Beginning

**Thirty-Five**

Eight Months Later

"Congratulations Mr and Mrs Levesque, you have another beautiful little girl." The Doctor announced. I held my arms out and she handed me my brand new baby girl. I looked up at Paul and saw him crying as well.

"All right, we'll go clean her up and finish up here so your little girl can meet her big sister." The Nurse said. I nodded and our daughter was taken from my arms.

"Paul, come here," I said, motioning him forward. He came forward and bent down to kiss me.

"I'm so proud of you baby." He said. I nodded and started crying. I was absolutely exhausted.

After I was taken to the maternity wing, I felt much more relaxed. I had showered and was all fresh and now I just wanted to see my daughter again. Paul came into the room with Kaliyah in his arms and I smiled brightly.

"Hi baby girl!" I said.

"Mommy!" She replied, holding her arms out. Thomas placed her on the bed and she hugged me tightly. I smiled and kissed her nose.

"You've missed Mommy haven't you Li-Li." I said. The door opened again and the hospital crib was wheeled in by a Nurse.

"Here is your daughter." She announced. I smiled and she got the baby out of the crib and passed her to me. Kaliyah stared at her little sister and smiled.

"Baby," She said. I nodded my head and smiled softly.

"That's your little sister Kaliyah." I said. She leant over and gently pressed her finger against her little sister's cheek and jumped back. I laughed and looked down at our daughter.

"She's a spitting image of Kaliyah baby." Paul said. I nodded my head and smiled.

"I chose a name." I said to him softly.

"Yeah, what is it?" He replied.

"I want to call her Mikayla Maree Watson." I said. Paul looked down at our daughter and smiled.

"Welcome to our family Mikayla," He said.

Kaliyah was looking at her little sister and she seemed so fascinated with her which made me smile. I hoped that they would be close sisters and maybe, considering there was only about twenty-one months between them, they would be very close. I couldn't believe that I was now a mother of two and I was only twenty-five years old.

Life was great and I knew that with every coming day it would get better. After all, I had an amazing husband and two beautiful children.

"Can you believe that we have two beautiful daughters together?" Paul asked. I smiled and shook my head.

"Bet you never imagined this the first time you walked in when you were working for me." Paul said teasingly.

"Actually I did Paul and you want to know why?" I said, looking up at him. Paul nodded his head and I smiled softly.

"You had my heart from the beginning." I replied.

* * *

And that is the end. I hope you all enjoyed it and trust me, the sequel is going to be good. It's going to be longer, longer chapters, more in-depth and... really really fun to write. Look out for it, YOU'LL HAVE MY HEART UNTIL THE END :)


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